The Human Pillar
by WDO345
Summary: Furuichi figured that his days being in weird situations was over. Satan was defeated, Oga was top dog, and he sat comfortably in his position as the Ishiyama High's #2. Then, out of the blue, the Pillars pick him and whisk him away to Kuoh Academy. How? Bishoujos, 'nuff said.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, so after like a long ass hiatus, I decieded I'd get back to writing for Furuichi's demonic adventure - problem is the fact that I just can't vibe with what I've written so far because my plans for the story and my opinions of my past writing has changed by quite a bit. So I decided to rewrite it. **

**What does that mean? Well, a lot of first chapters are going to look like copy pasted parts of the original fic - because they are, albeit with less grammar and spelling errors - but as we go along all start making bigger changes to the story to fit in better with how I want the series to continue. Overall, it's going to start off a lot like the first story but degiate a bit as we go along.**

**Just wanna say though, I'm surprised there still isn't a lot of Beelzebub stories of Furuichi. My man The General deserves better.**

**The Human Pillar**

**Chapter 1**

_**We Need You, Lieutenant!**_

Ishiyama High - that's the kind of school name that had a nice ring to it. Five syllables, two words, and all together it spelled out a story that was older than sin itself in the Ishiyama prefecture. You could even say it was a personal legend for the entire area. The School of Delinquents - where ruffians and teenage gangsters roamed freely to do as they want and as they please in the school building. Like a folk story, parents told their kids of Ishiyama High to scare them into studying hard and staying at home late at night.

That was the kind of school Ishiyama High was - a place of dread, a stigma in society. But even the darkest place in the world had their own legends, their own stories and their own pride in who they are. In Ishiyama High, they'd had countless legends and warriors that took the form of the pride and character of the school. It may have been a summit of decadence and unruliness, but it was one that all in Ishiyama sought to conquer, But in recent years that summit had become unattainable, a forlorn goal for anyone who thought they were the baddest in the prefecture.

Because Ishiyama's summit has now forever been etched with one name - the man who had destroyed the school, that had beaten the old leaders and tied them to his name, the man that had taken down the upstarts that had sought to take over the school after it was rebuilt, and the man that was known all throughout the area as the Child-Rearing Badass - Oga Tatsumi. But there was another name that stood just out of reach of that summit, someone who could not gaze out into the setting sun from the top, but instead stared below, towards the foot of this mountain of corpses his friend made, and stayed in vigil over his position as Topdog of Ishiyama.

That man was wrapped up in as many stories as Oga Tatsumi. His prestige only outmatched by his reputation, and while he may never reach the same level as Oga, he had made another name for himself that was revered in places unknown. That man carried the title of The Man With A Hundred Faces, The General, and Oga's No.2.

That man was and forever shall be - Furuichi Takayuki; The General of Ishiyama.

* * *

"Agh, can't you guys just leave me alone for one day," Furuichi whined while ducking underneath a bat swing from an overly ambitious freshmen delinquent. There were a dozen or so of them surrounding Furuichi in the hallways of the main building, and quite frankly, he was starting to get annoyed at how they were standing in the way of him eating lunch on the rooftop - his only real safe haven from all the apes of the school. He had even bought melon bread today.

But there was always someone thinking that they could take him down - and for some reason they thought that would be enough for them to be able to take down Oga. Fat chance of that; even if Furuichi went down because of any one of these delinquents, _none _of them had a fat chance in hell of beating Oga. But, freshmen weren't known for their smarts, and Furuichi was forced to act his part in Ishiyama High - for the first time in his life _he had _a part to play in the delinquent world.

"Today is the day, General Furuichi!" One of them yelled, his rather impressive look denoting him as the leader of this group of miscreants. "We, the Takahashi Dozen, will be the ones to bea-" Furuichi slammed his fist into his gut before he could finish his spiel.

"What the hell kinda name is that! Takahashi dozen! Are you trying to word play Baker's Dozen with your name!" Furuichi yelled, a vein popping in his head at the ridiculousness of some upstarts thinking they could take down Ishiyama's hierarchy like that. Beyond that, Furuichi was more pissed that these guys were making him actually _care_ about the hierarchy in Ishiyama.

Gah, this was all too much for him to process. It was time for him to focus on just finishing this fight so that he could enjoy some rest time on the roof. "Agiel, I'm letting you take over!" Furuichi said, glancing at the erotic swordswoman who was floating on a locker nearby.

"_Oh-kay~,_" she declared happily. In an instant, Furuichi's body changed and his eyes grew wide with battle lust as Agiel took over not only his bodily functions, but also his personality. The rather passive Furuichi was suddenly a whirlwind of movement, jumping up and down from the many corners in the corridor like some deranged jumping spider - the only visible part of him for the delinquents were his eyes, which shined brightly with manic battle readiness demanding to be satiated.

"Fuck, this is bad. He's entered one of his Faces," one of the delinquents yelled, dropping his baseball bat on the ground in an attempt to look non-threatening to the usually calm and collected Second Man to the strongest in Ishiyama High. He might as well have been trying to shoot down a star with a BB gun though, because in Furuichi's Agiel state of mind, all he did was presented himself as a weakness to exploit.

Furuichi readjusted himself in mid flight from the furthest wall on the corridor, twisting around in midair to bring his heel down on the delinquents head. There was a sickening crack sound as Furuichi forced the delinquents head into the hard floor, creating a web of fractures to spread out from the impact zone. The General made a mental note to send an apology to Toujou for the mess, then performed a spinning heel kick to the nearest delinquent while balancing on the one he had already forced to the ground.

That delinquent was sent flying out the window to slam on the ground, bouncing off the hard pavement as though he were a skipping stone on a water's surface. The other delinquents paused, staring at Furuichi in horror. All of them were shaking their legs, and they knew instinctively that they couldn't beat Furuichi - they knew but they didn't want to run. Their pride as delinquents didn't allow them to run; even though they were weaklings and mob characters.

Furuichi couldn't help but laugh - in his Agiel state of mind, he couldn't help but want to taunt them a little bit. "_**Yea, yea ~ an attitude like that is good in Ishiyama. You guys might actually be able to do it**_." He said, shaking his head. The delinquents all took a step back from him, unsure of what he was saying. "_**You guys might actually not die from fighting me with an attitude like that. Be sure to send me a gift card from the hospital**_!"

Needless to say, it was a massacre. Oga may be the top dog in Ishiyama, but he didn't really fight people to fight them anymore - not when a single punch from him could end a fight. Instead, he just swatted them away and continued on in his walk. With Furuichi though, it was much different. While Oga was feared and respected for his amazing strength, Furuichi on the hand was feared and respected because of his many different types of personalities - but they all did had one thing in common; they were all merciless.

The last thing any one of those delinquents remembered, was Furuichi standing over them and cracking his knuckles, a demon face stretched across his features as he promised them sweet nothings while he pounded them into the ground.

**o0o0 Whatever happened to normal? o0o0**

"When are you gonna return me my jump?" Oga muttered in annoyance as he took a bite out of his chocolate chip bread. The two friends were currently sitting across from each other on top of Ishiyama High's rooftop. This was their usual hangout spot in the school - mostly because most students didn't bother to go up on to the rooftops, and it was a place where both Furuichi and Oga could relax and hide from all of the delinquents demanding fights from them.

"When I finish reading them," Furuichi replied simply as he took a bite out of his bread. "Why do you care anyways? You've already read the ones that I borrowed from you. You don't need them, you should just let me keep them."

"Oi, oi, I paid money for that and you said nothing about wanting to keep them when you borrowed it. I ought to charge you a borrowing fee and another fee for wanting to keep them. Plus, you've been overdue, so I should also probably charge you interest," Oga said monotonously, staring at Furuichi as though he were staring at an idiot customer rather than his friend.

"Don't mess with me! Why the hell do I have to pay you anything?! Didn't I help you pay off the damages baby Beel did to your room that one time, I've thrown enough cash your way," Furuichi yelled back, his face set into outrage at the insinuation.

Oga grabbed his chin. "I see, I see. You've given me enough cash money, then you'll just need to pay me back in favors. There's this new issue of Jump that came out recently and I don't have enough money to buy it so -"

"I'm still throwing my money at you!" He yelled again. The banter continued back and forth. It was a continuous barrage of unreasonable demands and constant back-biting, but if anyone were to look at this scene as an outsider they would think - man these two are pretty weird dudes. And to be quite frank with you dear readers - nothing about either of them is tastefully normal.

"If you strap more rockets onto an airplane, that'd make the airplane go faster right? Then you wouldn't need to sit on an airplane for that long."

"That's not how physics work you idiot!" Furuichi screamed. He'd been screaming so much that his jaw hurt. But he felt perfectly fine, in fact he felt at peace, _this_ was his normal. Fighting delinquents in Ishiyama to defend a position like the second strongest in the school was honestly one of the most jarring things that could happen in Furuichi's day. Being on the rooftop was a return to normalcy for him - well, as normal a life as he usually lived with Oga.

Furuichi bit down on his bread, staring out into the sky as he mulled over his thoughts. "Earlier today I got into a fight with some new band of freshmen, some guys calling themselves the Takahashi Dozen."

"Huh? Freshmen? What of it? They strong?" Oga asked, Baby Beel making a soft 'Dah' in agreement.

"Well I don't know about that. I beat them."

"So not strong then."

"What's that supposed to mean? You saying I can't beat anyone that's strong? I'll have you know I've ranked up from my year 1 self!" Furuichi had in fact grown stronger, enough to be able to defend his no. 2 spot without much difficulty from delinquents thinking they could try and usurp the current hierarchy.

"No way, have you actually started peeking at the woman baths rather than creepily waiting outside to ambush the girls as they leave?" Oga said with a straight face.

Furuichi sweatdropped. "I don't wait outside to ambush them, I do reconnaissance, reconnaissance!" Furuichi yelled out in his defence.

"No, wait, that's worse."

The two of them bit down on their bread, both of them suddenly aware of someone watching over them from atop the staircase leading to the rooftop. Both Furuichi and Oga gave each other a knowing and annoyed look, which intensified into utter exasperation when that person jumped down to land between them.

"I've caught the both of you unawares! Me! Murino Sa-," Oga sent the fool of a delinquent flying off the rooftop. Furuichi craned his neck back, watching the flight of the would be assassin as he flew towards the nearby park.

"You know, the delinquents these days are quite chivalrous, announcing their names like that before trying to attack us. If it were Kanzaki or Himekawa, they would have definitely just attacked us while we were distracted," Furuichi commented. Ishiyama sure was changing - the delinquents were still dumb apes, but their genre of delinquents had changed by quite a bit! Impressive, for a school that accepted literally anyone into its school semester.

"I agree, the calibre of these new servants leave much to be desired," a cold monotonous voice admitted from behind them. Furuichi sweatdropped, glancing from the corner of his eye to stare at Hilda, who was sitting cross legged on a nearby ventilation pipe. "Tch, stop staring at my thighs you douche." Furuichi spat out his bread.

"It's not like I wanted to! You're thighs were right there and your skirt is so short there's practically no point in wearing one anyways - not like your sister Yolda-san, but she also has her own charms by being that conservative but having a devilish persona!" Furuichi yelled, pouring his heart out into his speech.

"Douche," Hilda clapped back. Furuichi gripped his heart, that one word insult having a greater impact on him after making such an impassioned monologue - especially because Furuichi was smart enough to see the truth in that statement.

"Hilda, what are you doing here? I thought you'd be back at my place lounging around like the freeloader you -" Ah, Oga was sent flying. Furuichi raised his hand up and waved goodbye to his friend as he was sent rocketing off the rooftop, leaving behind a trail of blood which followed him on his journey. Oh, if you're wondering about Baby Beel, Hilda was holding onto him and was now rapidly chasing after Oga to ensure that her young master did not cry.

That just left Furuichi to awkwardly stare at the retreating figure of his friend and the Demon which had dropped a baby into his life. He could have went out to check on Oga, but after weighing the importance of his lunch and the importance of his friendship with Oga, Furuichi decided lunch was much more prudent. Besides, Furuichi felt like enjoying his day and taking it easy - oi, wait a minute, why are there suddenly a pair of scarily familiar arms wrapped around him.

"I would never be so bold, but today I hope you can forgive me for being brash, but I require you to be inside of me right now," those creepy words which should belong to a voluptuous and tantalizing onee-san was instead being imparted by an ugly old man who was holding onto Furuichi tightly from the waist.

"Wait, wait! If you're going to teleport me somewhere can you not whisper such disgusting things into my ear!" He screamed.

**0o0o Why Me?! o0o0**

It was a brief moment later, before Furuichi found himself tossed onto the ground of the Pillar Division's headquarters he had visited a few odd months ago. "Huh? I'm back at the castle?!" Furuichi exclaimed as he stared at the large gate. Alandelion stood stoically next to him, hands to his side as he bowed in respect to the woman standing serenely at the front gate.

"Furuichi-dono, thank you for accepting our call so soon," Laymia, the mother of Lamia and a member of the 34th Pillar Division, bowed her head in greeting to Furuichi.

Whatever qualms Furuichi had in the matter of Alandelion's sudden appearance was washed away at the sight of the beautiful Laymia standing before him. Though a part of him was rather obstinate at ogling the mother of Lamia, the greater whole of him had overridden the small voice of guilt for the greater desire of appreciating the body of the young gorgeous woman in front of him.

"Oh, Furuichi-dono, you are still learning I see. It's a shame, Laymia's coat makes it difficult for me to see the object of my own desire," Dr Forcas, the self-proclaimed 'Man who loves ass more than tits', walked up to greet Furuichi. Both of them grasp hands in brotherly camaraderie, their perversion having long since developed their friendship as men of desire. If anything else, Furuichi was glad that there was somebody else that shared in his thoughts, and wouldn't give him the nickname of Creepichi.

"Oh Dr Forcas! And Laymia-san! I had no idea you were the ones who called for me. I thought it was Alandelion disturbing me again!" Furuichi said as he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Hmph! How rude Takayuki-dono, I would never disturb you in such a way," Alandelion muttered as he glanced away.

"Like hell you do!" Furuichi's Tsukkomi side yelled, "And what is that reaction?! Are you a tsundere from a shounen manga?! Die! Seriously die you old man!"

In reaction Alandelion grabbed his face with his hands and blushed, "Please stop Takayuki-dono, I alone truly understand your feelings."

"Just die already!" Furuichi cried out. Before anymore could be said Furuichi felt a rough tug at his collar and he was unceremoniously dragged away by Dr Forcas.

"Sorry kid but your comic relief isn't really needed right now. Laymia has already continued on into the castle without us." Furuichi sweat dropped as he was unable to stand up to his feet and had to instead endure being hastily dragged up the stars of the castle. What surprised Furuichi, however, was how all the nearby lesser ranked Pillar soldiers began to salute him as he passed them.

Furuichi knew that ever since he had accepted a contract with all of the Pillar Generals and Barons, he had been elevated to a rank of prestige among the lesser soldiers. Even in school he had already been given the title 'The Man with a Hundred Faces' and 'The Bipolar Demon'. Just as an aside, he had also once almost destroyed Ishiyama in an Oga-like way due to Jabberwock. It's kind of what reinforced Furuichi's position as 'the only one who can stand beside Oga'.

"Good afternoon Lieutenant!" The soldiers greeted. Furuichi sweat dropped at their formal respect and weakly waved at them as he was dragged deeper into the castle.

"Why are they calling me Lieutenant?" Furuichi asked uncomfortably, though he admitted it felt nice having a few mob characters for himself.

"I apologise," Laymia said as she slowed down her pace, "Considering your contract with the top Echelons of the Pillar Squads, it was considered prudent to formally induct you into the unit so as to stave off any confusion among the lesser ranks as to your authority within our hierarchy."

"Huh?! I was inducted into the Pillars?! Is that okay? I'm a human! How is a human so nonchalantly accepted into a demon army!"

"It's quite alright," Laymia said while smiling patiently, "You already have a contract with our current Leader, so in no ways are you a regular human. As such, it was deemed fit to give you the rank of Lieutenant, so that it wouldn't seem weird to see you among the Barons and Generals, especially when they call upon you to bear their strength in the human world."

"Still! This is an unexpected circumstance, especially for a high school student."

"It's fine," a new voice interrupted. "As a Tactician even you must understand that this would provide the best possible situation for you among the Pillars."

"Hecadoth?!" Furuichi yelled in greeting. It was generally accepted that Hecadoth was among the most frequently called Pillar to Furuichi's side, and the one that was most at use within Furuichi's body. His power fit the best with Furuichi, who didn't favor the destructive force of Jabberwock or the dancing agility of Agiel - his joints were always sore after working alongside Agiel.

"Can you stop shouting Lieutenant?" Hecadoth muttered, smirking in slight bemusement when he noticed Furuichi looked uncomfortable being called by a rank rather than his own name. "Be glad, we could have made you a lowly Private that listens to our every beck-and-call."

Furuichi started to sweat at the vicious smile on Hecadoth's face. "Hehe, of course. I am ever grateful."

"However the situation is rather drastic. We wouldn't have called you unless the situation was indeed dire enough to demand the call," Hecadoth said seriously as he went to step next to Laymia.

"What?"

"All will be explained soon, Furuichi-dono, but please for now exercise patience," Laymia suggested. He clamped his mouth shut and nodded, not wanting to accept such a beautiful bishoujo-san, and rose to his feet when Dr Focas allowed him to. Looking at Laymia, Furuichi was able to understand the situation well enough, considering the uncharacteristic frown on the face of the mother of the young girl that frequented Oga's house.

Speaking of her, "Where is Lamia anyway?" Furuichi asked.

"She's currently asleep. Yesterday was a tiring day for us. Especially with how the situation has become," Dr Forcas replied cryptically.

It took a while but eventually Furuichi was led to the top most section of the castle, where the highest Echelons of the 34th Pillar Division were waiting. The young man couldn't help but feel the cold tingle of danger running down his back at being in the presence of so many dangerous existences around him.

"Oh, it's good to see you again boy, or rather should we call you Lieutenant now?" Behemoth asked as he spared a wide smile to Furuichi.

"Oh, Behemoth-san," Furuichi muttered a terrified greeting, "It's a pleasure to see you again!" The old man chuckled and gestured to a seat on the round table that dominated the center of the room.

"Please seat boy, we have much to discuss," Behemoth said and Furuichi quickly complied, staring uneasily at Laymia and Hecadoth who had taken seats far down the aisle. "Now I'm sure you are wondering why we have asked for you to come here," Behemoth said in his gravelly old voice.

"Yea," Furuichi agreed, "I would imagine Oga would be better suited here." He immediately regretted mentioning that name as all of the assembled Pillars glared balefully at the space in front of them. Even Jabberwock's eyes darkened.

Though they had allowed Oga to drain them of power to defeat Satan, that didn't mean they had forgotten their past grievances with the young boy. The only one not all too affected was Laymia, Dr Focas, and Agiel who was twirling her hair idly, clearly bored with the day's proceedings.

"While Oga would have been a likely candidate, I'm afraid our situation requires a more deft touch," Behemoth replied easily, since he didn't really have that great of a problem with the boy. "Rather our Lord Beelzebub has a plan for him and wishes us not to disturb him. Besides, you are more than enough combat wise and with your Kings Crest, your battle potential at your base is higher than before."

"Oh...is that so," Furuichi said. Or rather, he didn't like the sound of that.

"Furuichi, just how exactly do you perceive the situation in Hell?" Hecadoth asked seriously, watching him carefully.

"Eh?" Furuichi was surprised at the sudden question, "What do you mean? Hell is ruled by the current Beelzebub isn't it?"

Behemoth nodded as he steepled his fingers together, "Yes, but there seems to be a discrepancy between what you know and what the Devils around you have mentioned. Currently, there are Four Great Satans that rule over hell, objectively, you can consider them our standing government."

Furuichi's eyes bulged, "Four?!"

"Yes," Laymia nodded her head, "Lord Beelzebub, Lord Lucifer, Lord Asmodeus and Lady Leviathan. While our Lord Beelzebub has indeed united this section of Hell, his territory is only a small portion of hell."

"Wait Lucifer?! But we defeated her!" Furuichi exclaimed.

Hecadoth shook his head, "That Lucifer is a descendant of the Old Mao, rather, it is easier for us to say that in the past there was a civil war between the Current Maos and the Old Maous. Thus, resulting in the formation of Hell today. Are you keeping up with me Tactician?" Hecadoth asked. Slightly deterred by the onslaught of information that he didn't know about, Furuichi nodded shakily.

"Our current Beelzebub, Ajuka Beelzebub of the House of Astaroth, is considered one of the strongest in Hell, equal to that of the current Lucifer. While they are both quite strong, Lord Beelzebub is smarter and was able to create most of the formulas that govern devil society today," Behemoth stated. At Furuichi's uncomprehending gaze, Behemoth elaborated. "With the loss of Devils in the civil war, Our Lord Beelzebub devised the Evil Chess Piece system. It is the process of reincarnating a human into a Devil through the use of a chess piece that grants certain attributes to the reincarnated Devil. You could compare it to the King system that Devil contractors use. Unlike Devil contractors though, the abilities of the reincarnated Devils do not require a stream of power from the King."

"Wait," Furuichi interrupted, "You can reincarnate humans into devils?!"

"Yes, though only those we have deemed strong. However, only the high devils are able to use the Evil Piece system fully," Behemoth clarified.

"I don't see how this affects me," Furuichi said, "Or rather wasn't the current Beelzebub supposed to be a lazy demon that goes with the flow?! What's with this out-of-the-blue development!" Furuichi shut his mouth quickly, hoping he hadn't insulted anybody with his tsukkomi but they all seem too engrossed in their thoughts to notice his blatant disrespect of their lord.

"Recently there has been movement outside of Hell, in Japan specifically, by the Fallen Angels factions - an enemy the 34th Pillar Division usually keeps tabs on. We are not sure exactly of what is actually occurring, but we are wary to find out what. Currently, Our Lord Beelzebub has ordered us not to disturb but as members of the 34th Pillar Squad, we have also gotten whiff of the Old Mao faction on the move. This has escalated the situation, and by order of Lord Asmodeus, the 34th is to be mobilized in case of an internal security threat."

"Again I don't see how this affects me! I understand the need for exposition but you're boring our readers!" Furuichi said.

"For starters," Jabberwock began, shocking Furuichi that the usually battle-focused character was jumping into the discussion, "While the 34th Pillar Squad are incapable of doing anything here in Hell, on Earth we have a certain amount of leeway which takes the form of our newly inducted Lieutenant."

Furuichi felt beads of sweat roll off his forehead, "But I'm a highschool student!" Furuichi countered desperately. He did not want to be included in whatever turf war was going on in Hell.

"That will be handled, you will be transferred to a school within the vicinity of the disturbance," Behemoth stated.

"What makes you think I'll go," Furuichi yelled.

At that time Hecadoth sucked in a breath. All of the Pillar squad stared at him, as they too had wondered about the answer to that question. Hecadoth was the one with the longest history with the Lieutenant and while the others had been called by him various times throughout the year, Hecadoth was the only one to have been called so often as to say that every day he was with Furuichi. Not too mention Agiel would always drag him to the Pillars annual lunch party and sit him on their table next to Hecadoth.

After a moment Hecadoth rose up from his chair and stood behind Furuichi, bending down to his ear, his voice lowered to a whisper. "The school has a population dominated by girls with C cup breasts and shapely legs," he intoned, hands gripping Furuichi's shoulders.

"O-oooohhhhh!" he snapped, "Why didn't you say so! Let me go! Let me goooooo!" All at once the Pillar Generals stared at Furuichi with disbelieving looks.

What an ass.

"Hey! I'm a healthy teenage boy!" he cried, having heard their thoughts.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Human Pillar**

**Chapter 2**

_**Oh, Bishoujo School!**_

"I can't believe my parents agreed so easily to this," Furuichi muttered as he adjusted the tie of his new Pillar uniform. "Also I don't see why I have to wear this uniform? I thought you guys would have wanted me to do this whole mission thing a little more incognito." That is not to say he didn't like having the uniform, but it was rather off-putting to transfer into a school wearing one. He wouldn't want anybody to imagine he was some kind of military-nut.

"Why wouldn't you be wearing the uniform~," Agiel said with a wide toothy - and Furuichi really did mean toothy - smile. "You're a Pillar now, Furu-chan ~ That means you wear the uniform with pride like all of us!"

"Agiel you're wearing a bikini," Furuichi deadpanned.

"Of course ~," she replied with her tongue sticking out. Hecadoth laughed at her innocent and matter-of-fact response. Furuichi just placed his face in his palms, trying to come to terms with the den of crazies which he had just signed himself onto. That's not to say that he didn't like either Hecadoth or Agiel - they were probably the closest to him in the entirety of the Pillar Division. That being said their personalities were too far on the Ishiyama spectrum of weird for him to truly be able to leave his tsukkomi behind in what was suppose to be a fresh start for him in a Bishoujo school.

"Geez, do you have to be so excited in the morning," Lamia complained as she sat next to Furuichi. Her legs were crossed and her arms were over her chest in annoyance, but what was especially surprising for Furuichi was how much she had grown. She looked way more mature than she had when he first met her with Oga. Furuichi learned that in just one year's time in this world, Lamia had lived three years in Makai because of her travels in learning how to heal with Dr Forcas - Furuichi didn't even know that Makai was capable of such anime-like developments - but the upside was that Lamia had now grown with some womanly features, but she didn't seem like she would grow into the shapely figure of her mother but instead take on the shape of a lean but still equally beautiful young woman.

That's good, a variety of women in a family helps in diversity - or so Furuichi thought. Man, the guy who would capture Lamia's heart would be one special person. That's good, Lamia is a good girl and she deserves someone who will treat her right - not anybody like Oga.

"Anyway, what are you and Hecadoth doing here anyway? I could have found my way to Kuoh Academy by myself, and I thought the whole point of me being here was because the Pillars couldn't exercise their power unless it was through me," Furuichi asked.

"Correction Lieutenant, the Pillars were not allowed the authority to conduct operations in the human world, but we are still part of a military hierarchy and standard procedures apply," Hecadoth explained. "Me and Agiel will be acting as temporary liaison with the Devils in charge of Kuoh Academy, who themselves are pretty high up in the Devil society."

"Listen up Furuichi, the sisters of both the current Lucifer and the current Leviathan are enrolled in the school - in fact Sitri-sama is the student council president, so show respect to the both of them while you are there!" Lamia told him. She handed him a set of pictures for him to look at, and the young man felt the onset of a nosebleed begin to develop.

"What a tremendous set of boobs," Furuichi slurred as he stared at the image of the red-headed Bishoujo chan in the picture. A sharp pain struck his side, and Furuichi felt the life drain out of him from the sheer force of it packaged inside such a tiny fist.

Agiel laughed hysterically at seeing Furuichi get thrashed by the little pinkett while Hecadoth could only smirk at the rear view mirror. "Impressive rack aside," Hecadoth cut in before Lamia could start ranting, "The both of them aren't just regular students, considering their place in Devil society they should also be rather high up in the school's social hierarchy. That being said, don't do anything that would upset them, we are in _their_ territory now, and while you carry the name of a formally recognized organisation while wearing that uniform, we are also subject to jurisdiction - so throughout your stay here just remember, your direct superiors are the leadership of the Pillar Division but while in Kuoh Academy you will have to report to Sitri-sama - she will more than likely relay any pertinent information to Gremory-sama."

"I understand," Furuichi muttered, tugging at his collar in anxiousness at his new role to play in this school. It wasn't like he wasn't used to danger anymore, but it was more like the responsibility was a new added weight on his shoulders, especially when the delinquents in Ishiyama usually never listened to him.

"Is there anything else I should know?" Furuichi asked, rubbing the spot where Lamia had punched him.

Agiel grabbed her chin. "We should probably tell him his mission statement, huh ~." Hecadoth nodded his head but he seemed to busy driving to reply, so Agiel took over from there. "Listen here Furu-chan ~, your mission is to investigate the recent incidents around this school for anything supernatural. If you find anything that might relate to Fallen Angel or Devil activity, you are to report right back to Commander Jabberwock ~."

"Don't think too hard while you're here. With any luck, nothing is going to happen."

Both Lamia and Furuichi dropped their jaws at Hecadoth saying such a thing. "Don't say stuff like that! It's a jinx, you're going to make terrible things hap - ohhhh Bishoujo-chan!" The tsukkomi was stopped mid screech to allow a cry of exultation as the car entered Kuoh Academy proper. Furuichi was in bliss! The moment the school grounds came into sight, beautiful young women of many different shapes and sizes began to filter into view.

It was such a beautiful sight that Furichi had to do a double-take - not used to the beauty and majesty before his eyes after spending a year in Ishiyama High. Furuichi made sure to drink in all of the beautiful women he could see. _A tennis team. Kendo club. Uniformed sports - ohhhh track team!_

Lamia clicked her tongue in disgust as she watched Furuichi oogle at the many women before his eyes, while Agiel could only laugh hysterically at the predictable nature of the Pillar Division's only human contractor. Hecadoth had apparently decided that it was best for his mind if he ignored it and parked the car. After sliding himself in between two cars, Hecadoth turned to look at Furuichi seriously - and seeing that, Furuichi also sobered very quickly, felling sweat collect at the back of his neck at the suddenly tensed situation.

"Remember Furuichi, your cover is that you're a foreign exchange student from a military school. While the others may know you are from the Pillar Division, not everyone knows you are from Ishiyama, or even your close ties to Oga - whom I may add is still being kept secret by our Lord Ajuka Beelzebub-sama, so keep the information on Ishiyama and Oga on a need to know basis only," Hecadoth said seriously. Furuichi gulped, surprised at the sudden need for secrecy, but nodded his head in acquiescement of the condition.

"Also Furu-chan ~ Remember to have fun, school is the time of youth after all!" Agiel said again, pumping a fist in front of her face.

"Did you get replaced with another character or something?" Furuichi said disgustedly. Agiel only knocked her head back and laughed at his reply, seemingly enjoying his reactions to her out of place character. Well, that kind of reaction was like Agiel, so maybe this was just her own little practical joke to throw him off.

Lamia crossed her legs. "Also, for the duration of you being here, I will be on hand to give you medical assistance if anything happens. You understand that Furuichi. You better make sure you don't go peeking at the girls and getting thrashed by them - I won't heal wounds from something stupid like that." She puffed out her cheeks and looked away from him.

_Wah ~ Lamia you've become a tsundere. _

"Still," Furuichi started, pulling on his collar in agitation, "Having a doctor around permanently does make me a bit apprehensive as to what you guys expect me to do here." The idea of Furuichi walking into something so dangerous that might require Lamia's expertise was in no short way a petrifying thought. Even so, he'd already thrown the ball in the court, so he had no intention to leave the game halfway.

Hecadoth raised an eyebrow at him. "While you are here to do an investigation of the Fallen Angels and the Devils in the area, there also comes an expectation that you might be forced to take action to defend yourself from danger. So, while you have your tissues to keep you safe, your body is still human and can't funnel all of our power, so we'll have to be prepared to heal your body to maintain the Pillar's strength in the human world."

_The Pillar's strength in the Human World_, Furuichi wasn't sure what he thought about that. "Alright, I understand," Furuichi said. He really didn't, but it was best to not let that show on his face. Instead he quietly exited the car alongside everyone else. "Classes should already be starting."

"Mhmm ~ But you can relax, you don't officially start your duties until tomorrow. Today is just you enjoying yourself in Kuoh Academy and getting familiar with your surroundings."

"Get a lay of the land," Hecadoth suggested. Furuichi glanced at a nearby fence area that look like a tennis court. If he was going to do some reconnaissance, he would start with the tennis team, and then he would drink in the sight of these beautiful young women in their tennis uniforms and - Lamia punched him in the gut again.

Hecadoth sweatdropped. He was used to Furuichi's behaviour already, but he'd never been summoned to his side while Lamia was standing next to him. He was getting the impression that this was a natural reflexive behaviour for each of them, and he silently wondered if either of them quietly got off in that. That was just too _disturbing_ a thought to dwell on, and he was quick to change the topic of discussion.

"Don't get carried away though," Hecadoth mentioned. "The two heads of this school would probably appreciate in at least meeting with you if you're going to be operating in the school. Chances are, after we finish our greetings with Sitri-sama, you will be called up to meet with her."

With that said, both Hecadoth and Agiel bid their farewells and left to inform the appropriate authorities of their arrival. Meanwhile, they had left Furuichi and Lamia standing awkwardly at the front gate of the school.

Some students who were milling about looked at the pair oddly. Which was understandable, the sight of someone dressed up in military attire and a pinkett wearing a lab coat was a rather eye catching one - which only reinforced Furuichi's mindset that trying to remain hidden was going to be a very excruciatingly difficult task.

So Furuichi figured that if he wasn't going to be able to remain inconspicuous, then he should just _stop_ _being_ inconspicuous. The young man proudly wrapped his arms around his chest and stepped forward through the school, Lamia trailing behind him in surprise at the sudden confidence that Furuichi had. Maybe it was the uniform, or the fact that Furuichi wasn't going to be here for more than month (as promised by Behemoth) but he didn't feel particularly self-conscious as he strode through the school.

Furuichi had to admit, he was impressed with the place. It reminded him of Saint Ishiyama, which was far better for a private school than the wacky rich people school that Himekawa had attended once. At least he now knew he wasn't going to have any heart attacks for ordering food from a vending machine.

"This place is pretty nice, though the fact that this place is occupied by Devils makes it a little less appealing," Furuichi commented, staring at the sakura leaves - were sakura trees supposed to bloom at this time of the year? - that fell gently from the tree branches which reached over the protective fence around the school.

Lamia crossed her arms, watching the falling leaves with Furuichi. For some reason it seemed like she was blushing, her feet digging into the dirt beneath her idly as she mumbled, "This school was designed for Devils to masquerade as students to blend into the human world. It's a great place for Devils to learn about human society - in fact, I would have gone here too if my education under Dr Forcas didn't get in the way."

"Hmm, so wait, you mean if it wasn't for Dr Forcas, you'd have already be going through your first year here?" Furuichi asked - somehow feeling astonished at the idea of Lamia going through a first year in this school. Just the image of Lamia wearing a cute school uniform and doing cute year one things almost made Furuichi blush - _almost, he was not a lolicon. _

"I-Idiot!" Lamia hissed, stamping her right foot in the ground. "You better not be imagining any pervy things about me in a uniform." She glared dangerously at him, somehow radiating a more dangerous aura than Oga could ever manage. Furuichi, realising that his life was on the line, lifted his hands up in a disarming fashion - _though if that would help was a question between him and fate. _

"N-nah, I wasn't. I promise. It's just, Kuoh Academy isn't that far from Ishiyama, you and I could have probably met as regular students if I wasn't friends with Oga," Furuichi quickly cut in, masking his thoughts around a plausible half truth. It _did _succeed in making Lamia calm down, but it seemed to have sparked another emotion in her as she crossed her arms and turned away from him.

"Y-yea, we could have. We probably would have. I don't want to think of it. The idea of me still being stuck with you in another life pisses me off!" She struck directly at Furuichi's heart, with such an intensity and accuracy that the Pillar Lieutenant almost wanted to drop to his knees and cry. Though he had to postpone his dramatism when he heard the distinct sound of a school bell ringing.

_It was around the time a normal school break would start in_, Furuichi thought idly. As you'd expect from a delinquent school, Ishiyama had no breaks - in fact, every hour of school day was a break, so you wonder why kids stayed at the main school building at all, since all they had to do was mark attendance and could then proceed to fuck around for a day.

_There's a reason why I call them dumb apes_, Furuichi sweatdropped - not actually thinking as to why _he_ also stayed in Ishiyama all day when he really didn't have to. _Plot contrivances probably, even mob characters are held under them_.

Lamia reached forward and grabbed his arm, tugging on it with strength that the young man had become acutely familiar to. In that he meant, if really _really_ hurt. "Come on, since you're here to investigate I'll help you in identifying any Devils in campus!" She said quickly, pulling him along like a piece of luggage.

Furuichi did not protest - he wasn't sure if he would survive if he did - and merely followed along. But he had to admit, considering that Lamia never actually went to school here, she knew a lot about its layout. She pointed out several locations which people could use to ambush anyone in school - and of them, several of them were staircases in less frequented parts of the campus; a common staple to the many roving gangs in Ishiyama.

Furuichi only partially listened - usually he kept most of his attention on the students that were currently in their classrooms, to busy paying attention or biding time until first break to really notice them walking around outside the classrooms. It was, in all honesty, a surreal experience. Here Furuichi was, in a regular school without the stigma of being an Ishiyama student, and he was skulking about as he would in Ishiyama or in St Ishiyama school as a delinquent-esque person.

It was an ironic twist of fate for the young man. "There were quite a few people I noticed in the classrooms," Furuichi said out loud after following Lamia for a good two hours around the school. It comes as to no surprise, but after everything that happened in his first year, Furuichi had become sensitive to 'weird' people. "Hecadoth gave me a brief description of the peerages of both the Sitri-san and Gremory-san, so...I'm guessing all those were Gremory-san's peerage? The blonde pretty boy, the blonde girl and brown haired guy - but who was the other blonde?"

Lamia blinked, stopping mid stride as she scrunched her face in thought. She was probably replaying her thoughts, trying to remember who it was Furuichi was pointing out. "That's probably Genshirou Saji, he should be a first year student council member - and a member of Sitri-sama's peerage."

"Ah," Furuichi replied verbally, but in truth he was crying on the inside. Because that blonde kid had been surrounded on both sides by two equally beautiful girls, a busty voluptous one and a lithe athletic girl. And it was as obvious as day that the two of them had a thing for the kid.

_How is a plain looking guy like that able to already achieve a harem in his first year when I've been struggling all this while_, he thought despondently. No wait! Such a plain looking guy like that could score a harem because of the school he was in! 90%! 90% of the school population was females! In that kind of environment it was only natural harems would form! That's it! That's it! If Furuichi was here he could form a harem of his own!

_Uwoooh_, his internal battle cry was such that Furuichi was sure he had rattled the nearby sports lockers on his own will of determination. Such was his passion at achieving his own harem here in this once in a lifetime opportunity.

A sudden beeping noise knocked Furuichi out of his intense inner monologue session, and he almost jumped out of his skin when he heard it. He glanced down and saw that Lamia was frowning at her watch. "Shoot, I have to head back and set up my things in your apartment - on that note, for the duration of your stay here I'll be popping by your apartment to do regular health checks."

Furuichi felt sweat beading on the back of his neck. "Is that really necessary?" The idea of the little girl appearing out of random in his apartment was - to put it bluntly - a harrowing thought. Seeing her annoyed tic, Furuichi quickly retracted his comment. "Well, I'm sure there'll be good reason for that, unlike what a certain someone would do whenever he pops -"

"I apologise Furuichi-dono for the intrusion, however I would greatly appreciate you if you were to enter inside me," a breathless voice whispered into Furuichi's ear. Goosebumps awoke across the back of his neck - not the good kind - and Furuichi widened his eyes in both shock and horror at what was about to transpire. He barely managed to let out a tsukkomi before the big burley hands of Alaindelon managed to wrap themselves around him. "Don't say that like some sultry onee-san you old pervert!"

The last thing Furuichi saw was the disgust plainly evident on Lamia's face.

**0o0o Can you shave your arms! o0o0**

Alaindelon deposited Furuichi on a rooftop, leaving the young man to gasp for air on the ground. It wasn't that he wasn't able to breathe when being transported around by Alaindelon, it more like he was utterly disgusted with the _way_ Alaindelon chose to transport him around - and the things he says before that.

"What was that for!" Furuichi groused, staring up at Alaindelon as though the man had committed a grievous sin - and to Furuichi he most definitely did. "I swear, if you brought me out here just to show me your china pot collection again, I will -"

"Please Furuichi-dono, now is not the time to test my abilities to see through your words to find the hidden affection within them," Alaindelon said, bowing his head in a blush as he cutely - _disgustingly _\- turned away from him. Furuichi wanted to puke, but before he could, Alaindelon brought him back to attention. "However, I am serious when I say you must see for yourself the gravity of the situation. Below us, if you would take a moment."

The sudden seriousness from Alaindelon surprised Furuichi - partly because Furuichi had never seen him like that before, and partly because such an attitude did not belong on a middle-aged man dressed in pink boxers and a white sleeveless shirt. But the young Shanghaied teen decided to play ball with the older coot and glanced past the edge of the rooftop to look downwards.

What he saw was rather incongruous to the image of a regular Japanese street. There, nestled in between two buildings, was a black robed Christian priest - orthodox perhaps - and he was currently standing idly at the center of the alleyway with a sword held tightly in his grasp, a crazed shit-eating grin on his face as he stared forward blankly. The moment Furuichi caught eyes on him, Furuichi thought 'hentai' but then another rational part of him came to the conclusion 'serial killer hentai'.

The young man pulled himself away from the edge and looked up at Alaindelon. "You could have led with that honestly," Furuichi said blankly, a bit apologetic for scolding Alaindelon over an actual issue that warranted the sudden action. But at the same time, he wasn't taking back what he said and what he thought.

Alaindelon blushed even harder - if that was even possible. "Why, then I would miss the opportunity of having our weekly flirtatious conversations. What a travesty that would be."

"Just die," Furuichi hissed disgustedly, not having the energy to shoot back at his regular volume and also not wanting to alert the potential threat below him. That, however, seemed like a foregone conclusion, because that priest was suddenly in the air above him, the same sword held over his head like some kind of pouncing ninja in a shounen manga, with an equally crazed grin spread across his face.

Of course, as with all things, Furuichi's main instinct when he sensed danger was to run. The young Lieutenant twisted on the ground and rolled just inches away from the sword impaling his face. His efforts may have saved him from a quick decapitation, but it did not save him from the kick to his lower abdomen. Furuichi was sent sailing through the air, being saved from falling to his death by Alaindelon catching him and transporting him to another roof.

"That is dangerous, Furuichi-dono, what would happen if I were not here," Alaindelon exclaimed. Furuichi wanted to bite back that he was the reason Furuichi was there in the first place, but thought better of it. In the end, Alaindelon had saved him, so that saved him from the set quota of Tsukkomi per chapter.

Harsh laughter filled the air, crazy and without reason. The sky seem to darken into red, and Furuichi felt goosebumps riddling across his back. "A barrier?" Alaindelon muttered in surprised. "A seemingly worthy foe, Furuichi-dono, I suggest you summon a Pillar to your aid." Furuichi would have done so with or without the suggestion from Alaindelon, but he nodded his head all the same.

Without any flourish, Furuichi shoved the tissue paper into his nose, doing what he can to summon someone he thought appropriate for this. The tissues had been designed to summon someone at random, however, after Furuichi became contracted to the Pillars the young Lieutenant discovered that he had more control over his selection of Pillars than he had originally thought.

Considering that his 'standing orders' had been to report anything back to Jabberwock, well, then this should constitute a report in Furuichi's eyes. All at once Demonic Energy began to surge into Furuichi - the feeling of the dark, oozing energy from the deepest pits of Hell began to collect all across his body and the young Lieutenant rose to his feet, suddenly reinvigorated, the sharp pain in his lower gut now nothing but a whisper.

"_Oi Gaki, you must be in some real deep shit if you decided to call me_," Jabberwock grunted, his large astral projection looming over his shoulder. Furuichi wanted to gulp in fear, but consoled himself with the fact that Jabberwock was not actually physically there, but instead back at the Castle, with only his power here to help him - as per the agreement between summoner and summoned.

Furuichi glanced at the ground, unable to take the intensity of the 34 Pillar Squad leader on his back. "That guy over there, he's some sort of exorcist I'm guessing, considering he's been talking about killing shity demons for a while now," Furuichi told him, nodding his head towards the priest who was standing idly by, his eyes glazed over in whatever crazy juice battle horny whackos drank.

Jabberwock glanced at the other man, and suddenly the oppressive atmosphere that had settled around Furuichi seemed to increase in intensity. Furuichi was almost certain he was going to choke from it. "_Ah, is that the shitty priest Freed, Oi, Oi Gaki, you gave me something good this time_."

"I am happy such intention is not directed towards me," Alaindelon said hesitantly. Jabberwock's intensity disappeared entirely and he shifted away from the old transport Demon, apparently having not noticed him there beforehand. There was a bit of a sweatdrop accumulating in the back of his neck, and Furuichi suspected the man was embarrassed at being next to the person that he had been forced to smack away countless times in the past. Either that, or people were finally reacting the proper way next to an old man dressed in nothing but boxers.

But the calm before the storm was called such for a reason. Jabberwock forcefully took over Furuichi's body in order to dodge a wild swipe from the priest/Exorcist guy. The swings were wild but not uncontrolled. From within the encapsulation of power and combat ability that Jabberwock allowed inside Furuichi's brain, the young Lieutenant was starting to understand that, whoever his opponent was, this enemy was trained and experienced.

Jabberwock's power started to flow through Furuichi, filling every fiber of his muscles with conducive power that strengthened his attack power and durability. After dodging another swipe from the exorcist, Furuichi decided it was time for him to attack. He dug his heel into the ground, grinding the end of his sole deep into the asphalt ground to gain enough purchase to pull his arm back for a powerful punch. The priest saw this and responded, already in the motion to block, but Furuichi struck before he could.

His left arm came up from under the blade, slamming a nice clean uppercut on the priests chin that sent him flying. But before the priest could go any higher than a metre off the ground, Furuichi's right foot come over his forehead to perform a drop heel kick on him.

The exorcist recovered fast though and pulled his head back before Furuichi could complete his kick. He put some distance between them, bringing his sword back up to separate him and Furuichi from each other. But Jabberwock fought without fear - and since Jabberwock was inside him, Furuichi fought without fear. The Lieutenant rushed forward, Demonic Energy pooling at his knuckles as he threw punch after punch, his fist slamming against the blade that the exorcist wielded. Instead of the sound of a straight edge cutting through flesh and bone, there was the distinct sound of metal slamming against hard stone, a constant thumping noise which jumped from rooftop to rooftop.

Furuichi pulled himself back, his arms raised in a defensive gesture as he shifted his stance. His eyes traveled down to his knuckles, red with his blood and gushing with wounds, and scoffed in annoyance. "_**Oi, you shitty priest Freed. You got an upgrade the last time we met? A holy sword ill fits you**__._" Demonic power was fantastic at what it can do, but it also had its own weaknesses. The use of demonic power could easily be negated with some application of Holy Power - power of the Christian faith or anything using belief.

Furuichi knew he would have to finish this fight now, lest his human body gets ripped apart from any slip ups.

The priest on the other hand seems to be enjoying this however, and began laughing - like a broken clown toy in a rundown Toys R us. "Who would have thought I'd find a Demon Contractor out here! You little shit stain, how much of your soul did you sell away to those filthy demons?! You're filthy too, I'll clean away your filth with my Excalibur Rapidly."

"_**Excalibur...what a fucking mess**__,_" Furuichi muttered as information about the weapon was filtered into his mind by Jabberwock's spirit. A weapon made by the Christian faith and had enough power to perish lower class Devil's with just a touch. "_**Dangerous**__,_" Furuichi muttered uneasily, a bit of his real personality seeping through.

For a moment Furuichi wished he had summoned Hecadoth instead. The Pillar General was a much better fit for him, considering that Hecadoth was more of a Technique-Type user than a Power-Type user, he was far better equipped and more in line with Furuichi's method of fighting to be most effective in this situation.

Furuichi will just have to adjust. "Jabberwock give me some more control over my body," Furuichi muttered. He felt more feeling return to him in his arms and legs, and Furuichi reflexively adjusted his fingers. Seeing that he had controlled over his body now, the Ishiyama delinquent did what was natural for him - he ran.

He could hear an exclamation of surprise, followed closely thereafter by anger, as the exorcist chased after him. That was fine, Furuichi wanted the madman to follow him. Because the situation as it stood was advantageous to the priest, with a wide open expense to evade and dodge, and plenty of room to make use of the hefty speed of that sword, Furuichi knew he had to limit the man's capabilities, which was why he led him down into a narrow alleyway, too tight and constricting to move the sword in any meaningful way, but still enough for Jabberwock to fight or launch magic attacks.

And like a battle horny whacko, the priest followed him in there without question."What's this! What's this! One of the famed Pillars running with a tail between his legs?! Perish the thought!"

Furuichi felt Jabberwock's anger rise inside him and the Demonic Energy in the air spiked. With a scoff he raised his fist up and began punching the air, sending earth shattering wind - imbued with Demonic Energy - towards the priest. But the holy man did not appear fazed, instead he swung his blade in animal fury, dispelling the strikes made against him through sheer force.

The exorcist then moved to counter attack. As Furuichi hoped the constricting space made it more difficult for the exorcist to attack and easier for Furuichi to defend. The advantage of the speed of his swings were now greatly diminished thanks to his quick thinking. Even so, Furuichi also understood that if this continued any longer, he would undoubtedly lose.

Furuichi side stepped, allowing the blade to pass him. But the exorcist had sharp battle instincts and redirected the vector of his attack. The Lieutenant jumped, dodging the attack, and aimed a mid air kick to the exorcists head - he dodged. Another flurry of attacks was unleashed as Furuichi hit the ground, but he managed to block most of them. That wasn't the cause of concern for him though. Furuichi's left now coated in copious amounts of blood, wounds dragging from as long as his wrist to his elbow. He would not last long.

"What's this! What's this?! Tired already?" The priest said mockingly. Furuichi felt the anger swell - the Demonic Energy pooled more effectively around him. Without hesitation, he jumped back, sending debris flying into the face of the exorcist as he skidded off the ground and onto the street. Luckily it was close to duck already and there weren't any people in this part of town - but that was an assumption made in an ideal world. This was not one, and Furuichi felt like cursing when he noticed someone walking up from the street.

"_**You little shit stain, I've got subordinates who would love to have some time to carve you up**__,_" Furuichi shot back, pulling his arms up defensively. The Lieutenant could not tell who exactly the newcomer was. Only that a brief spark of Demonic Energy revealed to him as more than just a simple bystander. But was he an ally or a foe? That was a question Furuichi had to answer. But first he had to stall the exorcist. "_**You remember me? You white haired shit stain Freed. The demon that took out your ribs in France**_."

"Ahahahah, who would've thought that the great and mighty tadpole got himself a summoner," the exorcist said, laughing all the while. The mocking was pure and unbridled amusement. No shame whatsoever at the bluntness of his expression. Furuichi gritted his teeth, withstanding Jabberwock's angry disposition. "I wonder, I wonder! If I carve my Excalibur Rapidly into your summoner, would you perish as well? It's worth a try!"

Freed came rushing forward again, a manic grin on his face as he slashes his sword wildly with swings that defied normal understanding. A crazed beast unleashed to the world. Furuichi shifted his stance, intent on ending the fight with on final blow. But he needed Freed to stop, he needed the man to stay steady. His chance came when a blur of blonde hair descended from the rooftop, his own sword held tightly in his grasp.

"Ah! Ah! The disgraced son returns!" The Exorcist exclaimed gleefully. Furuichi blinked at the sudden moniker - 'disgraced son'? - but he didn't allow it to hamper in his movement. Thankfully the other person decided to attack from above, giving Furuichi a clear shot against his enemy. He threw his punch, all the Demonic Energy he could muster - bolstered by the simmering hate that thrived inside Jabberwock at his enemy - shot out like a rocket. The earth beneath the strike shattered, the ground splintering like cracks, and Furuichi could see Freed register it for but a short, indescribable second, before he was blown away from the impact.

An explosion bloomed to life in front of him, and Furuichi raised his hand to protect himself from the blast. The fire that was produced from the reaction was so hot it singed the sleeves of his uniform, leaving the edges burned to a blackened crisp. When the light subsided, Freed was gone, but there was no sign of a body or his sword. _Escaped then_, Jabberwock thought detestingly inside Furuichi's mind.

The young Lieutenant shifted his weight, standing to his full height to regard the newcomer. Blonde hair, pretty face, cool aura - yeah, that reminded Furuichi exactly off the Knight in Rias Gremory's peerage; and the Kuoh Academy uniform was a dead giveaway. "Thank you for your help...?"

"Kiba Yuuto," the young blonde replied, smiling gentlemanly at Furuichi. _Tch, pretty boys like you should just die_, Furuichi thought balefully; the influence Jabberwock had on his mind was far more pronounced than people like Hecadoth or Agiel. Part of it could be chalked up to how rarely Furuichi ever called for him.

"Yuuto-san, it was thankful that you arrived on time as you did," Furuichi murmured. The wounds were beginning to sting now that the Demonic Energy was starting to dissipate. The blood flowed freely, and Furuichi bad enough of a sense of mind to tighten his sleeves to stop the blood flow. "What are you doing here?"

"I was on my way home," Yuuto replied. He gave Furuichi a once over, his eyes narrowing just a fraction. The unwilling Lieutenant had seen enough of some chivalry in Saint Ishiyama to know what that means. "May I ask as to who you are?"

Ah, what a diligent Knight. Furuichi allowed Jabberwock to loosen his control within his body and gave a disarming smile towards the blonde student. "I am Takayuki Furuichi - I was sent here from the 34th Pillar Squad. Hecadoth and Agiel should have already discussed the situation with Sitri-sama."

"Ah, yes, we were informed," Yuuto apologised. He dispelled his sword, Furuichi only now noticing that he hadn't done so earlier. _Cautious_. "I had not expected that your investigations into the school area had already begun - and to think that you had already found a discrepancy. Please, do not think of this incident as any negligence on the Gremory's part."

_Gremory only? Not gonna mention anything on behalf of the Sitri's? Smart, he shouldn't be going around speaking for people he does not represent_. Furuichi nodded his head and glanced upwards at Alaindelon who was peeking from over the edge of the rooftop. "Alaindelon come down!" He mock ordered.

The boxer wearing old man jumped down dutifully, landing surprisingly panther like on the ground - and damn Alaindelon for making him think that! Furuichi felt a shiver run across his spine at the lapse of proper judgement.

The young Lieutenant turned away from the old man and went back to looking at Yuuto, and was rather surprised at seeing him staring at Alaindelon in fright and awe - was he surprised at seeing an old man in boxers jump down from the rooftops? Good! That was the proper reaction.

Furuichi reached his hand forward and waved at Yuuto. "The situation seems to have expired for now, but that exorcist was waiting for someone. Might I ask, do you usually take this route home?"

Yuuto blinked, glancing at the alleyway as though in search of a memory, then shook his head. "I came here on a whim; usually I would take a different path. But I thought I felt some strange discharge of Demonic Energy in the air and I decided to investigate."

"How vigilant," Furuichi commented off-handedly. Yuuto smiled politely, but there was an element of abashment to it as well. _Die_, Furuichi thought.

"Thank you, that means a lot coming from a member of the vaunted 34th Pillar Squad," Yuuto replied thankfully. Furuichi felt very uncomfortable with being lumped together with those battle crazy whackos, and was quick to deny it.

"No, no! I think you have the wrong impression of me! I'm just an ordinary high school student. That's all I am!" Furuichi replied quickly. Yuuto seemed rather surprised at his sudden outburst. But horrifyingly enough he began to smile in a manner that gave Furuichi the impression that he had come upon some sudden realization. _Whatever it is, you're wrong_.

"Ah, well, to be a regular human and to achieve an admittance into the Pillar squad is no easy feat," Yuuto commented. _No, that's not it. They're all just battle horny_.

"I'll be heading home now," Furuichi said, already feeling fatigue fill his body. "I assume you will be notifying Gremory-sama as to what transpired here?"

The blonde Knight frowned, as though contemplating the idea itself. But after a moment of deliberation he nodded his head, and gestured towards Furuichi's wounds. "I don't mean to be presumptuous, but I think it would be wise for you to have your wounds checked."

Furuichi glanced at his arms. The wounds were, in short words, grievous. The cuts were deep enough to warrant attention, and the blood that he was giving off was almost lethal. But maybe it was Furuichi's own natural durability, or the Demonic Energy from Jabberwock, but the pain was but a dull ache in his arms. Of course, he wasn't stupid like Oga, he knew he should see Lamia soon.

"Yeah, that should be right. Alaindelon can transport you home first, I have to talk to my...uh, superior first," Furuichi said, uncomfortable with calling Jabberwock 'boss'. Yuuto was about to make a word of protest but one sharp gesture from Furuichi and the transport Demon had already grabbed hold of Yuuto and taken him away.

After the Knight had left Jabberwock materialised beside him. "_This was more than we could have anticipated_," Jabberwock murmured. His voice low and dangerous. Furuichi felt sweat accumulate on his neck. "_Continue as you were, if confrontation arises again, call on the Pillars. Keep me updated_." And with that, the contract expired and Jabberwock was gone.

The first thought that hit Furuichi's brain was, _oh fuck_, and the second thought was, _ohhhh fuuuuck_. He crumpled beneath the pain of his wounds and his exhaustion and decided the ground looked especially tantalizing to sleep on. If anyone saw Furuichi there, they would have thought him pathetic.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Human Pillar**

**Chapter 3**

_**The Pillar's First Day**_

Waking up in bed back at his apartment was not a pleasant experience, because unlike most other lone living students in Japan - though there weren't really many of them to begin with - Furuichi had the luxury of having his own personal pinkette doctor to take care of him. Of course, that meant she did doctor-like things, such as scolding him the moment he tried to move his body off the bed.

"I can't believe how reckless you are!" Lamia said, her hands on her hips as she stared Furuichi down. Now that Lamia was taller she didn't need to try as much to look down on Furuichi, but a part of the young Lieutenant still felt the nostalgia at seeing this now grown fifteen-year-old Lamia behaving as he remembered just a year ago - actually was it possible to feel nostalgia after only a year?

Furuichi scratched his cheek, mumbling a defence for himself as he did. "It wasn't really my fault, Alaindelon brought me there, and the guy attacked me first, so I had to respond," Furuichi said. "Besides, I'm alright! I'm not dead!"

"Are you even listening to yourself! You sound like Oga!" Lamia accused, and Furuichi's heart nearly crashed at the shock of someone saying that. "You've got three fractured ribs, a fractured ulna, and your radial artery had been cut! It's a miracle you survived the few minutes it took for Alaindelon to get you and bring you back to me!"

Not for the first time in his life, Furuichi was beginning to understand that he was in some deep shit with Lamia at the moment. "Wait, wait. I understand what you mean, but isn't this why I am here in the first place. Looking at it plainly, I was just doing my job!"

Lamia grabbed his collar and began violently rocking him and forth. "Your job was to investigate and report, not go out of your way to attack random exorcists in the street! You're lucky Gremory-sama's Knight was there! You could have gotten hurt!"

"Is this how you're supposed to treat a wounded patient! Lamia my stitches are being undone!" Lamia let go of him, letting him fall back onto the ground. That did not mean, however, that she was satisfied with the ear lashing that he had received so far. _I don't mind getting scolded for being stupid, but this is a little bit too much_, Furuichi thought despondently, for once actually wishing he was back at Ishiyama.

Furuichi pulled himself up, rubbing a hand over the soreness of his body as he glanced up at Lamia's unpleasant expression. "Ok, ok. I was being careless. I should have immediately run away with Alaindelon."

Lamia puffed out her cheek, glancing at the ground in apparent agitation at his sudden compliance. Furuichi got the feeling that he still wasn't off the hook. "No, you did the right thing in that situation, and nothing more could have been reasonably asked from you. I was just surprised to hear that you apparently went into a fight out of your own accord."

_Technically speaking, I was dragged into that fight as well_, Furuichi thought but wisely kept those thoughts inside himself. Out of sheer curiosity, Furuichi checked the clock on his nearby bed stand and nearly sputtered when he realised he was running late for school - and it was his first day! "Lamia! I have to get ready!" He exclaimed, surprising the little pinkette with his outburst.

With a speed of motion that belayed his lithe frame, Furuichi quickly put on his uniform and swung the tie over his neck as he opened the door to his room - leaving behind a squawking and indignant pinkette behind. Furuichi sent a mental apology to her - knowing full well that it would end up doing nothing for him when he met her next - and sprinted as fast as he could for what would be his first day in the 2nd year of Kuoh Academy.

This was a scene that, until recently, had been utterly devoid from Furuichi's life. Considering that Ishiyama had no tests or homeworks to speak of, after school all Furuichi did was lounge around until he fell asleep. Then it was all about waking up and heading to school - which, as you'd expect, was a rather leisurely time for him. It was best to say that Furuichi hadn't really been living a high school life; more like he had just been living, and not the fun way.

Besides what he had just experienced with Lamia, Furuichi had the odd feeling of being..._normal _for a change. Wasn't that a simply pleasant thought. Furuichi decided to give Lamia an apology for his quick run out later in the day, after school, when his head was on straighter - because he was having some pretty hectic anime-ish reflection going on in the back of his numbskull.

By the time Furuichi reached school, he was half sure that first bell had already rung. Not a good first impression he was planning on giving to his new school debut in an almost entirely all-female school - but there were worst ways he could have gotten picked out in the crowd; it wasn't like the uniform was doing him wonders anyhow.

Seeing the front gate to Kuoh Academy right in his eyes, Furuichi thought he should gun it and forget about everything as he went - at least, that was what he would have done, had he not noticed a blonde haired kid waiting outside from him - _what was his name? Genshirou Saji, of course, how could I forget one of the people I want to die? _Furuichi thought amicably, stopping just before the Gate to straighten out his uniform. If he was stuck with it, might as well make it work, right?

After tightening his tie so that it looked semi-presentable, Furuichi walked the rest of the way to the gate, trying to formulate a reason in his mind as to why he was late to school. That seemed like a pretty moot point though when he realised the boy looked more afraid of Furuichi than Furuichi was at being faced with a possible reprimand for his tardiness.

"Ah, yes, Lieutenant-sama, ah, Lieutenant-san, ah, the Lieutenant from the 34th Pillar Squad, yes, I'm here, I...uh, I have a message for you!" The boy stuttered through, sweat accumulating on top of his forehead as he looked at everywhere except for Furuichi's eyes. The former delinquent didn't know how to respond other than to stare blankly at the pathetic attempt at trying to gain his attention but decided amiability was the better part of social interaction and nodded his head in greetings to the nerve-locked student council member.

"Yes, it is I, Furuichi Takayuki," Furuichi answered with a dashing smile that was so bright it could block out the sun. Thankfully, Saji was staring at his feet and couldn't see the Lieutenant's own pathetic attempt to appear cool and authoritative in front of him. Furuichi had to give himself a mental pat on the back - and then a slap - for his good luck and shook his head free from any other thoughts to appear weird out of sheer comedic necessity.

Genshirou shifted his feet nervously and bowed towards Furuichi - making him infinitely glad that he came to school late just so that this embarrassing moment wasn't seen by a lot more people. "Yes, Sona-kaichou has requested your presence at the student council room."

Furuichi blinked then glanced at the school. "Isn't it a bit late already? It wouldn't do well for my cover if I'm late for the first day of school." Not to mention - first impressions matter; being a slacker kind of cancels out the exoticness of being a foreign student.

'It's alright, we have made preparations if asked say you were in a meeting with the principal over your transfer papers - if not, then just act as though its a regular school day," Genshirou said in way of explanation. Well, that made things easy for Furuichi, and he wouldn't really gain anything by saying no and heading to class anyway - well, besides getting an early view of the girls in his class, but Furuichi firmly believed it was more conducive to his health if he just followed along for now.

"Right, then, you lead the way," Furuichi said politely, gesturing for his hands for Genshirou to rise up from his bow - yes, he was still bowing - and walking after the boy as he seemed to make a beeline towards the school building. _I'm not gonna bite your head off_, Furuichi thought dryly, noting how Genshirou was more akin to speed-walking that trying to escort him safely to the location.

It wasn't long until he took him to a room on the 2nd to the highest level of the school building. There was a marker atop the dead which reas 'Student Council Room' and Furuichi was a little amused at the school having one - not just because of his experienced in Ishiyama High and Saint Ishiyama High, but also the fact that the Student Council had, for all intents and purposes, a Princess as the President. It didn't really bode well to the election system for the school.

"Here is the room - thank you for following me," Genshirou said, bowing respectfully to Furuichi as he gestured his hand towards the door. Furuichi nodded his head and stepped through, not wanting to keep the Sitri beauty waiting; especially considering he was _late_ to school first before he was late to the impromptu meeting. He tried to think up something of an excuse before he was fully floored by the sight of the bespectacled beauty that was standing across from him.

His eyes, in the usual fashion, were immediately drawn to her milky white legs - and he prayed that every girl in this school also had a preference to short skirts as their apparent school representative seem to.

"Lieutenant Furuichi Takayuki - it is a pleasure to meet you," Sitri Sona said with a brief smile. Ah, that smile could melt the antarctic glaciers in Furuichi's opinion - simply beautiful! Furuichi would have raised his hand for a wave, but his uniform, somehow, restricted him from doing this and forced him to give a salute. _Wait, wait - agck!_ Furuichi might have been imagining it, but he could have sworn he felt the collar tighten around his throat when he tried to resist the movement. With no other option, he decided to roll with it.

"Lieutenant Furuichi Takayuki reporting, ma'am. It's also a pleasure to meet you," he said sheepishly, hoping to convey some modicum of normalcy with his action by shooting her a smile. _Actually, scratch that, smiling probably has the opposite effect_, Furuichi thought despondently. Luckily, Sitri-sama didn't seem to have noticed his smile and had instead occupied her attention by gesturing to the seats that were in front of her desk in the student council room.

"Very professional - I don't personally dislike that, however, I would like it if we can keep this conversation a little more light hearted, even if the contents of it are not as such," Sitri-sama said as she sat behind her desk. If that was her intention, Furuichi wondered why she was sitting behind a desk rather than sitting opposite him in a regular chair. But he supposed she _was_ a Princess - he couldn't really say anything against her.

"Of course," Furuichi murmured - it wasn't like he had any intention of saluting in the first place. "I'm sorry for being late, had I known that you were expecting me for a meeting - well, I'd probably be here a lot sooner."

Sitri-sama shook her head, and while Furuichi could sense a gleam of strictness from behind her glasses, he saw a light of understanding as well. "Rias has informed me of what happened yesterday night, and nothing can be done for it considering the injuries you might have sustained. Nonetheless, I would appreciate it if you refrained from being late in the future - circumstances permitting of course."

Seeing that the matter had been scrubbed easily enough, Furuichi chose not to push it and nodded his head.

She seemed to have caught something appreciative about him; evident by the small smile she gave after seeing his response. "Your colleague Hecadoth-san spoke very highly of you - I believe your moniker among the 34th Pillar Squad is 'Tactician'? Surely, somebody with that reputation has to be something of a learned man."

_Curse you Hecadoth_, Furuichi thought. He didn't mind being overestimated if it meant he looked good, but it was another thing entirely if he had to operate on that overestimation. "Ah, I'm not all that smart at the end of the day. A title is just that - a title."

"Humble as well," Sitri-sama returned at the apparent dismissal of his superior's praise. "Well, that's fine. I'd still like to get your opinion on the situation at hand." Furuichi raised an eyebrow at the use of the word 'situation' but did not interrupt. "As of this morning, two Exorcists of the Church have contacted me asking to set up an audience between them and Rias Gremory - whose clan holds authority in this territory. Seeing no reason to reject their offer, I had passed along the message with confirmation of a meeting later today."

"Exorcists?" Furuichi asked, his mind flashing back to his earlier fight with that Priest guy - what was his name? Freed?

Sitri-sama nodded her head. "I find it very telling that a group of Exorcists are requesting a meeting after one of their members had seemingly attacked you without orders. Exorcists often times serve the will of the Church and as such usually do not contrive themselves to attacking random Devils on the street unless they were doing something that warranted intervention."

Furuichi racked his brain to think of something - but naturally, after so many years of learning to decode the intentions of inter-group violence, amd stupidity, he didn't really need to think long. "If they're willing to talk to a group that's meant to be their mortal enemy - then what they are dealing with must be big. But not big enough to affect the Devil society, if they think they can get away with sharing information with us. Considering they wanted to meet with Gremory-sama in particular means that...means that they probably came here to ask for permission to handle an internal problem in the area."

"I had thought so too," Sitri-sama confided, steepling her fingers together as she smiled at Furuichi. "Even so, the idea of two highly trained and dangerous Exorcists operating so close to the school is...let us say, undesirable. However, while I have authority here as the Student Council President - I still understand that the area around the school belongs to Rias Gremory. As such I shall leave this to her discretion."

Furuichi nodded his head, unsure of what to say to add on to that conversation. He believed that, as far as he was concerned, he was a background observer to everything going on. "I'm here purely on the investigation as to whether the situation involves the Old Mau faction or Fallen-Angels. Considering the situation from yesterday and today - this seems to purely contain elements of the Church."

Sitri-sama pushed her glasses back. "I understand that, however, we cannot deny that the situation might escalate to the point that it might involve the Old Maous - no, the Fallen-Angels. At the very least there should be some inkling of it."

She was grasping for reasons - Furuichi knew it and she knew it as well. Despite himself, Furuichi couldn't help but cut through all the useless floundering. "If you want my help, you need only ask Sitri-sama."

She blinked, pulling herself back on her chair as though surprised by what Furuichi said. Then she recomposed herself, this time a more respectful look passing through her features. "Right, I understand. Then, I would like it very much if you were to attend the meeting between Rias and the Exorcists. I feel that, if you were there, then I may rest easy. Considering you are of the 34th Pillars squad, you would represent the authority of Beelzebub-sama and as such have the power and cause to be present at the meeting." Sitri-sama leaned back on her chair. "I also believe that Rias is far too forgiving of her peerage and would often allow them to act too freely. I'd prefer if a situation like that could be dissuaded."

Furuichi had no reason to refuse - personally, Furuichi didn't even want to refuse. The idea of working to gain positive relationship points with the bespectacled beauty in front of him was far too good an opportunity to pass up, and the young boy had no problems with raising a thumbs up at her. "I'll see to it that I can drop by later today for the meeting, you don't have to worry about that."

Sitri-sama nodded her head thankfully. "I don't think it would be polite of me to hold you for any longer."

"Of course, Sitri-sama."

The young woman smiled, dazzling Furuichi with her beauty. "In school, Sona-kaichou is fine."

**0o0o I'm from...Macau, I guess? o0o0**

Self-introduction wasn't the smoothest thing that Furuichi had ever experienced in his life. Considering how he wasn't supposed to mention Ishiyama - or really, even _wanted _to associate himself with the delinquent school - Furuichi had fallen back on the tested excuse of nearly everyone in the world - _I'm from Macau_.

It had gotten more than a few curious looks - suddenly he was elevated from some new odd exchange student to a _foreign_ exchange student, which was always popular in a school simply for the change in the environment that they brought. Of course, the kind of change Furuichi brought was always readily apparent.

He made a mental note to thank all the Gods he knew - because as it turned out, there wasn't any other male in Year 2 of Kuoh Academy. Do the math, statistically speaking, Furuichi had a higher chance of scoring a girlfriend if he was the only viable option around - lucky him!

The girls he met were probably angels sent down from heaven. He never thought he'd ever end up in a classroom full of A-Class beauties, but here he was. What a time to be alive - or at least, that was how he felt like. But even though Furuichi would like nothing more than to bask in the warmth of being surrounded by such beauties, he had a promise to another beauty to do a job - one that he never really thought he would do.

So, while reluctantly, he politely refused Miyamura and Katase on hanging out after school and headed towards the old school building, where the Occult Research Club and Gremory's peerage used as a part of their homebase. All the while, Furuichi couldn't help but reflect in how he had somehow gotten in over his head with accepting to come here.

Furuichi wasn't stupid - at least, not like how the delinquents in Ishiyama were. He had no particular desire to run headlong into battle or fight strong opponents out of some need to confirm his own masculinity. He was a simple man, with simple desires and simple goals. Being thrust upon the Devil world stage in the middle of what was started to look like a war dressed in nothing but a uniform he didn't even know he had to wear in the first place was never on his highest priority list.

But if he was stuck here then he would have preferred if he was stuck here with a little bit more information. After getting a far enough distance from the main school building, Furuichi stuffed a roll of tissues in his nose and focused on summoning a specific Pillar. Over the months he had the tissue, Furuichi had managed to learn how to summon desirable Pillars in a given situation - some of the Pillars liked to say he was bias though, so he refrained from doing it unless necessary. Right now, he figured a little bias on his part was warranted.

"_I didn't expect you to call on me so soon,_" Hecadoth said in way of greeting after his soul materialised next to Furuichi. Despite the fact that he was currently walking as fast as he could towards the old school building, Furuichi couldn't help but do a double take when he saw how tattered Hecadoth looked - his usually pristine Pillar coat was now ripped in several places and there were signs of blood on his face. Hecadoth seemed to notice his staring and grinned disarmingly. "_Nothing to worry about Lieutenant - it's not like the Pillars were staying idle while you were here doing your job; most of this is just superficial, so it's nothing serious._"

"If you say so," Furuichi said skeptically. "Did you hear about what happened yesterday?" Furuichi got into the nitty-gritty of what had transpired the night before - as well as the information which Sona-Kaichou had shared with him. All the while, Hecadoth listened silently, a rather disgruntled expression on his face as he digested the information through his own knowledge of the situation.

"_It seems like something serious - for those crazies in the Church to even want to talk to us,_" Hecadoth murmured. Furuichi only barely held himself from replying about how most of the Pillars were themselves, crazy sadistic psychos. "_But she was right when she said this might involve the Fallen-Angels - Jabberwock-sama debriefed us yesterday and informed us that he smelled feathers after beating back that Exorcist. Intelligence also suggests that Freed had been excommunicated from the Christian Church some time ago; might explain why he's traveled past his hunting grounds in France to end up here; that shitty Priest, if I had been summoned yesterday, I would have cut the man in two._"

"Wait, wait, wait! Hold up, I don't get what's happening at all, what's all this about? I didn't even know there were Exorcists, to begin with? And in addition to that, isn't Kunieda also an Exorcist? Are they the same? Goddamnit Hecadoth, explain this better!" Furuichi ranted.

Hecadoth huffed in mild exasperation, but he did seem to understand that Furuichi was squabbling in the dark on this - it was hard to expect him to know what was going on when he'd quite literally been thrown into the hotpot without wondering how he fit into the taste. "_What do you want me to start with?_" He asked.

"Start with this whole Fallen-Angel thing - what is all this even about."

"_I'll explain it all to you the best I can. Right now the situation between the Three Factions - that is, the Angels, the Fallen-Angels, and the Devils, are at a tipping point_." Furuichi fell silent, listening intently as he kept dodging anyone still lingering around the school. "_Right now, the Fallen Angels are stirring some things up and there is a chance that the Old Maou Faction will do something as well. Not many people know this, which is why the situation is so unclear. What we do know however is that recent activity has dictated a shift in favor. I don't know what's going on in the Angel side, but the Fallen-Angels have gotten troublesome members into their factions, especially a single man who, in any case, will be a troublesome factor; especially with the Red Dragon Emperor now serving as a member of the Devil's side_."

Furuichi frowned, "Red Dragon Emperor?" he asked. Hecadoth shook his head in the negative as he hardened his eyes.

"_You'll see him eventually, Dragons are existences which still gather much attention in the world after all. Even our castle once belonged to the Great Dragon King Bahamut. In any case, as you can understand, the current predicament for the 34th leads to our battle readiness being at an all time high. The majority of the 34th is spread across the vast expense of the Demon territory, keeping an eye out on the recent events and ensuring the stability_."

"I thought the 34th is loyal to En?" Furuichi asked.

Hecadoth nodded, "_However we still obey the orders of Beelzebub-sama and that of the Four Governing Maous. Militaristically, the 34th is under the command of Asmodeus-sama, who is in charge of all Military assets in the Underworld. The 34th usually deals with internal affairs; however, there are times when we are called to the Human World to secure territory on Earth or escorting young High-class Devils under protection. But that's beside the point," _Hecadoth made an irritated grunt at his own monologue, _"The point is that, for two Exorcists to willingly come to us, it shows just how desperate the situation has become. Michael, the Archangel, has always been the most righteous, even if he does really wish peace now that the war has ended. The Christian belief was never so flexible, and with Jabberwock mentioning one of the Excaliburs in possession of a rogue priest, it just goes to show how desperate they must be. Listen here Tactician, the Excalibur is a dangerous sword, able to make even High-class Devils perish with a single blow. Whatever they came here for, if it is connected to that sword, then be wary at all times_."

"I'm not sure I can understand it completely," Furuichi muttered, "But basically this event that I'm on could represent the beginning of something big?"

Hecadoth nodded in agreement, "_It's best to wait and let it develop. Right now the 34th is tied up with current matters, hence why you're here. I have to go now, while it was nice breaking bread with you, I could only spare a few moments_."

"Why?"

Hecadoth frowned, mulling something over, before shaking his head, "_We've received disturbing news from an old Devil in the magic association. Really this situation is becoming more and more troublesome. Not to mention we share our borders with __**that**_." Furuichi wondered what he meant by that, but couldn't ask any further. He was nearing the Gremory club room and he could feel Hecadoth start feeling impatient with his summons. Knowing that keeping the Pillar General there would be a social faux pas, Furuichi said his goodbyes and removed the tissues from his nose.

He had arrived early for the meeting, which was fine for him as he addressed the thoughts in his mind. He understood that Excalibur in the possession of that insane rogue Exorcist would spell doom to both the Angels and the Devils. Furthermore, Hecadoth had mentioned Excalibur**s **which meant that if anything, the meeting would be about the priest and his own Excalibur. However, would the priest really be that much trouble to warrant sending two Exorcists? Or even meeting Devils, who they apparently fervently hate. No, hate wasn't so easy to let go for cooperation, Furuichi knows this from his own personal experience. Which meant there were things here he didn't know.

As he was thinking, the club room doors open, and Furuichi noticed the Occult Research Club enter with...uwaaa two beautiful foreign beauties. Before anyone could notice, Furuichi saved their images in his mind, even if their bodies were covered by the cloaks. Then he noticed that Yuuto kid standing behind the group, his hands tucked behind his back and a sour expression on his face. He was glaring at the Exorcists with a look that Furuichi had seen plenty of times shot at Oga's back. Whatever was troubling him ran deep, _soul deep_.

"Gremory-sama," Furuichi greeted respectfully as his body reacted automatically with a salute. The redheaded Gremory girl, whom Furuichi couldn't help but glance a peek at her bust, seemed surprised to see him there before a calm and cool expression took over her features.

"Lieutenant-san," she greeted, "I had forgotten you would be attending the meeting with us." She glanced at the two Exorcists next to her and said, "Excuse me, this is Lieutenant Furuichi of the 34th Pillar Squad, he will be standing here as a representative of Beelzebub-sama."

Furuichi carefully watched their expressions and noted the slow widening on the darker haired one's eyes. "The Pillar Squad?" She said after a moment, expressing her surprise in a quiet exclamation. "Are you expecting a war? While we are Exorcists from the Church, even we recognise the Devil Army uniform anywhere."

Furuichi felt rather out of place to answer but before he could even attempt to the Gremory heir had already interjected, "While the 34th Pillar Squad is, in layman terms, an organized Army, their main duties is the protection of Underworld's borders from outliner threats."

The Exorcist seemed to scoff, "It is still known, widely I might add, that the 34th has a large number of highly powered Devils among their ranks."

Furuichi frowned and couldn't help but ask, "Excuse me, Exorcist-san, however you seem to know a lot about the 34th."

"It's Xenovia, and of course, given that your members use the names of Angels. It is practically insulting to us Exorcist, who follow and safeguard the Christian beliefs," Xenovia stated with the girl next to her nodding vigorously.

Furuichi frowned but didn't really know much to counter her. "Pillar Generals are among the strongest of the Pillars lowest Echelon, ranging from Low to Mid-Class Devils on their own. While Pillar Barons themselves max out at High-Class with their General in command standing at Ultimate-class," the Gremory girl said. "The fact that they hold those names and have survived the reprisals from the Angels' sensibilities is proof that they've earned the right to carry them." She seemed to toss a glance at Furuichi after her apparent defence of the Pillars reputation and Furuichi had the sudden worry that she might have thought of him as a coward - he had remained silent after all, and in Ishiyama terms that was as bad as admitting defeat.

"Either way, if you are with the Pillar Squad then the air has shifted dramatically," Xenovia stated. "Irina?" She glanced at the girl next to her, who smiled in an energetic manner before she and her partner began to explain the situation. It was easy to follow the conversation, well, easy if he just took a minute to connect the dots and ponder on the situation. Three Excaliburs had been stolen from the Church, and all their Exorcists sent to investigate the situation have since not returned. One of the leading suspects was one of the leaders of Grigori, Kokabiel the Fallen-Angel.

Keeping his expression cool, Furuichi listened on, all the while taking mental notes to ask Hecadoth questions with later. "Our request… No. Our order is to not have any devils intrude in the battle between us and the Fallen-Angels for the Excaliburs. In other words, we came here to tell you not to interfere with this incident."

The Gremory girl pursed her lips and asked the very obvious question. "Such a manner of speech. Do you think we would ally ourselves with the Fallen-Angels?"

"The Headquarters has decreed that it is a high probability," Xenovia stated.

"That is absurd," Furuichi interjected under his breath. He thought he had been quiet about it but all eyes turned to him unexpectedly, and he resisted the act of scratching his neck out of surprise. Maybe it was the uniform talking but he was able to keep his posture straight as he formulated a coherent explanation. "I'm assuming you would think that the situation would be a win-win for both sides? However, allying ourselves with the Fallen-Angels and giving them the Excaliburs would create a shift that would benefit the Fallen-Angels. The current situation that we are in now, in a way, is a tipping point," Furuichi said, borrowing Hecadoth's words, "And giving swords which can cause damage to Devils to the Fallen-Angels would place the Devil side in the corner, rather than those on your side. If anything, the situation is just as troublesome for the Devils as it is for you."

Xenovia mulled his words over, watching Furuichi critically, before grunting, "You have a sound mind and bring up valid points. The higher ups mustn't have thought about it when they sent us here. That reasoning is enough to sate our current objective needs." Furuichi frowned. So the meeting was for non-interference? Rather, it was to ensure that the Devils won't play sides.

"Still, you cannot expect us to sit idly by. While this is an internal matter to the Church itself, the immediate moment either of you stepped into the Gremory's territory, the situation has become a Devil problem as well. The fighting will damage the Devil side directly, and as such, could be cause enough to declare war."

"You are quite knowledgeable about this Lieutenant-san," Irina stated, eyeing him in quiet amazement. Furuichi resisted the urge to blush and tried to look cool in his statue-like 'at ease' position.

"The 34th Pillar Squad mostly handles internal affairs after all," Gremory-san stated, "In fact for the past year they've been active around Japan for reasons only I can imagine. As such, it is to be noted that their members have a good grasp on the political situation in the Underworld."

Furuichi sweatdropped. _Rather they spent that year trying to kill Oga so as to ensure En would be the only contender for the title of Beelzebub_. "For them to be active for a year without us knowing," Xenovia muttered, "I expect you yourself are a veteran member?"

"No, rather I'm a human which has contracted with the Pillar Squad," Furuichi said honestly. A look of shock appeared on the Exorcists and some of the Gremory groups face.

"A human?! And you're a member of a Demon Army?! You must have contracted with someone immensely powerful!" Irina muttered in shock. "Can I ask who you contracted with."

Furuichi just shrugged, "All of them." Silence dominated the room as everyone stared at Furuichi in shock, everyone besides a blonde haired girl and a brown-haired boy who both looked rather confused. "What's the matter, did I say something strange?" Furuichi sked.

"With all of them, you say?" Xenovia stuttered, "And a human? You must be exceptionally strong." Furuichi was about to correct her but Irina interrupted him.

"How long ago were you inducted?" Furuichi frowned and crossed his arms - he felt suddenly uncomfortable by the scrutinization he was receiving from the both of them.

"A year ago. It was a year ago when I started summoning members of the Pillars to lend me their strength, but after we fought against Satan, I was formally inducted into the group."

"You fought against Satan?!" Both Xenovia and Irina stared at him with wide-eyed shock. "Such a powerful human," Xenovia muttered. Furuichi felt himself start to sweat. _No, really you're terribly mistaken, I had my ass handed to me by that smug shit._

Even though he surprise was greater than everyone else there, the dark haired Exorcist girl was the first to regain her bearings, and after a while began to stand up while motioning for her partner to do the same. "We must leave, I don't think this meeting has a purpose anymore." She stated. Furuichi watched them, wondering about their reaction. Was his current situation really that unbelievable? He had thought it was plausible and that it wasn't really all that surprising. Apparently, it _was_.

Before they left Furuichi remembered about the situation with Freed and turned to inform them about the rogue Exorcist, considering he didn't want to be accused of withholding information - that is, until the room was suddenly engulfed in demonic swords.

**0o0o Big Oof o0o0**

Furuichi didn't act, it was more like instinct. The moment he heard the first sword break ground and pierce through the wood flooring in the room, his first thought was 'Gotta Blast!' and he threw himself back, his King's Crest blazing as he skidded off the ground and screeched to a halt away from the blast radius. And calling it a _blast radius _was not too far off the mark. The entire zone looked like an impact crater - just sprinkled overhead by a dose of demonic swords which clung to the ground like punji sticks in a Vietnam war theatre.

Furuichi was struck at the odd ability - on the other hand, he couldn't help but be thankful Kanzaki or Himekawa didn't have the ability themselves. Despite his curiosity in how exactly an ability to create swords from nowhere worked, Furuichi had a greater priority. Keeping his promise to a bespectacled beauty - and admittedly, he probably already broke it by allowing this to happen in the first place.

He drifted his eyes up the stream of demonic swords to lock eyes with Yuuto-san and he didn't like what he saw. Sharp anger and hatred glazed off the Gremory Knight's eyes, threatening to burn the two Exorcists were they stood by sheer intensity alone. He eyed them like a lion watching a gazelle, bound to an instinctual need to find a weakness and exploit it. He'd seen plenty of those eyes directed at him.

Furuichi stepped forward, instincts honed after years of trying to play mitigator to Oga and his violent outbursts brimming to the forefront of his mind as he held his hands out to separate the two sides from each other. "Yuuto-san, restrain yourself!" Furuichi said, his voice only a touch bit desperate as he threw the man a look. He did not want to go back to the Student Council room and report how he had failed to stop a diplomatic incident - it would be too much for him if that bespectacled beauty were to turn on him with eyes filled with hate. "Defending yourself is one thing, but attacking someone without prior provocation is unreasonable!"

"She was insulting Asia-chan!" A brown-haired boy next to Yuuto-san yelled. Furuichi turned his eyes from the blonde haired Knight towards the sudden interjector. He recognised him as Issei Hyoudou, one of the newer members of Gremory's peerage. Next to him, Furuichi could see a blonde haired girl trying to hold him back, small tears clinging to her eyes as she tried to redirect Hyoudou-san's hate.

Trying to defend a girl? How chivalrous - a stark difference from Oga, who was as dense as a fifty-inch steel wall when it came to women. Furuichi can understand their reasoning, perhaps better than anyone else there, but he had made a promise to Sitri-sama and he wasn't going to be the bearer of bad news just to sate somebody else's hero worship. "The actions that you take reflect that of the Devil world. While, yes, you were defending the pride of a comrade, details like that can easily be overlooked, and be subject to scrutiny, in front of a court!" Furuichi said.

The brown-haired boy froze and Furuichi realized a little bit too late that in his haste to create an argument, he had unknowingly sealed a threat in his own words meant to diffuse the situation. But Yuuto-san either hadn't zeroed in on it or ignored it completely, because he continued stared at the Exorcists balefully as though Furuichi _wasn't_ standing in between him and them.

"Gremory-sama," Furuichi said, hoping for her to jump into the fray. The Gremory heir shook her head and stepped forward, prepared to call her servants back when Xenovia-san muttered something into the palpable silence.

"It might be interesting to test the strength of Rias Gremory's servants. Also, I'm interested in the strength of the so-called senpai." Furuichi paused and glanced at the Exorcist, his eyes swirling in shock. But one look at Xenovia's face showed that she had already made a decision. It was a look Furuichi had seen plenty of time with the top dogs of Ishiyama. This was pride.

"The Church will not be informed of this incident, and so long as we aim to wound rather than kill, then there wouldn't be any problems now would there?" Furuichi mulled over what she said and after years of experience working with loopholes to get either him or Oga out of trouble, he guessed that was good enough. But still, what was with them?! Was he missing something between Yuuto-san and these two Exorcists?

_I doubt it was just them bullying Asia that drove him to such lengths_, he thought. The image he was seeing of the Gremory Knight now was completely different from the image he had of him from the night before.

"Still," Furuichi tried to placate, even if he knew it was futile, "The two of you are on an important mission! What would your superiors say if they saw you battling against Devils!"

"They would praise us," Xenovia said calmly.

"Yes, they would!" Irina agreed.

Furuichi made a mental note that everyone in the supernatural world was just battle horny idiots. He couldn't even sweat drop anymore, that was how resigned he was to this fact. "If it makes you feel better, Lieutenant-san, you can be a part of this battle as well. Of course, we are not trying to be insulting; we understand you are more powerful than us, however, if it would make you less worried, then I'm sure my partner and I would not have any problems crossing swords with you while we battle against Gremory's servants."

Furuichi frowned, but on the inside, he was screaming. He was just trying to stop them! Don't twist his words to the point that it left him little choice but to appear satisfied with the option. Sweating Furuichi grabbed the back of his neck as he stared at them. "W-well, I suppose that I would be able to step in, however, it would be unfair to you, if you were fighting against three opponents."

Xenovia laughed quietly, "That wouldn't be a problem. You can just referee the match while we fight."

Furuichi was trapped now. There was little he could say to even try and get out of this, and one look at Gremory-sama showed that she also had made up her mind. Furuichi resigned himself to being a referee and allowed the 'friendly' spar to take place.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

_**Things Are Not As They Seem**_

_This place was built to be in an anime_, Furuichi thought. Why else would a school have such a large plot of unused land in the back of its former main building other than to allow students to fight or the occasional couple to smooch without being interrupted. If this was Ishiyama, Furuichi wouldn't be surprised if he saw a few bodies on the ground. Thankfully speaking this wasn't Ishiyama and instead of seeing bodies close to death, he would be the one in charge of _making sure_ no one died.

All in all, Furuichi wasn't sure if he upgraded or not from his place in Ishiyama. Though, even as he said this, he had to give thanks to God. While the four fighters were getting ready to start their duel, Furuichi was standing in the background surrounded by several beauties. The Occult Research Club Vice President, Himejima-fukubuchou, was currently creating a barrier so that their fight didn't disturb the day-to-day lives of regular humans - _I used to be a regular person_, Furuichi thought despondently.

Meanwhile, as he was waiting, he made sure to take a peek at the red-haired and blonde-haired beauty standing next to him - and he had to admit, he practically drank in the sight of the raven-haired beauty raising her arms over her head to create the barrier. This was probably the first time where Furuichi may have a legitimate reason to stuff the tissues in his own nose - which he did.

"Eh? Lieutenant-san are you perhaps sick? I can use my Twilight Healing to heal you if you are," the former nun and current member of Rias Gremory's Peerage, Asia Argento, asked as she cupped her hands in front of her face. Furuichi blushed at the sudden proximity between him and her and stuttered out a response.

"No, it's alright, I'm just getting ready to summon a Pillar," Furuichi said, trying to dissuade her from coming closer - he wasn't sure if his heart could take it.

"Hmm, you are human, it would make sense if your body might suffer from adverse effects from summoning a Demon like how you seem to do," Rias Gremory commented as she looked on from the side. After a brief moment, the Gremory heir couldn't help but smile."I was surprised though," Gremory-san stated, "I had expected you to start throwing threats at them after they began to insult the 34th Pillar Squad. However, you kept silent and only interjected when the matter affected Underworld as a whole. Indeed, I see Sona was right to place her trust in you; it seems the reputation of the 34th really doesn't show all their strengths."

_I'm pretty sure their reputation really does show __**all**_ _they are good at_, Furuichi thought to himself. Though he did note how close the Gremory heir and the Sitri heir seemed to be - considering they were referring to each other in a given name basis.

The feeling of his Demon contract being fulfilled surged into Furuichi. It was like a cold sensation which wrapped around him, reminding him of the nature of the Demonic Energy that somehow filled him with power and also left him feeling as though he hadn't changed at all. Except, all of a sudden he felt the insatiable need to take a nap.

He turned to greet the Demon which would be giving him the necessary fighting power to actually referee the match - and promptly began sweating when he saw the face of Virtra, the blank-faced Pillar Baron, staring back at him. Her indifferent expression made him more nervous with each silent second that passed as he waited for something to happen.

He had very little experience in using the Pillar Baron, but when he had, she had displayed strength capable of destroying whole sections of Ishiyama alone. Though she was very lethargic, which she played off with her low blood pressure, she was no less deadly despite her apparent lack of energy. Furuichi hoped he hadn't woken her from her sleep - there would be hell to pay if he did.

Eventually, it was her that took the first step.

"_Oh, it's you again. Calling me so soon? Right after Hecadoth? You are greedier than I expected_," she commented with a smooth voice.

_Wait, don't say things like that so casually! People will get the wrong impression, _Furuichi thought in a panic. He turned to Gremory-san to try and dissuade any possible rumours or misunderstandings, but to his surprise, she merely turned away and stared at the scene where Yuuto-san and Hyoudou-san were preparing to do battle.

"I see that you have channelled your power already. Have you summoned someone to your side? The Demonic Energy is different but it does fit the nature of Makai," Gremory-san stated. Makai, or Demon World, was the name for Hell - which had been the side setting for the original cast and crew for the past year - but why did she say it as though Makai and Hell were two different places.

"_You seem to have a misunderstanding_," Virtra said, staring him with her weary eyes. Furuichi was wondering how she had the energy to even talk at all. "_Makai and Underworld are two different territories in Hell, or rather, the plain of existence where demonic entities call home_."

"Eh?" Furuichi asked as he walked away, heading towards the space behind the pair of Devils as they spoke with the Exorcists. "I don't understand, what are you trying to say? Aren't all Devils from the same place?"

Virtra did not break eye contact, and Furuichi couldn't help but feel that she was shaking her head in her own mind. "_Yes, all Devils come from the same place, but you seem to have a narrow mindset. The world where Demonic entities exist shares itself with many beliefs. Not only that of the Christian belief but also that of other religions and cultures. Those of Makai, while also Demons, are different to those of Underworld, of which is where the Christian Devils live. While Makai has since gained a diversity since our current Beelzebub-sama took over, most of our members are still local to Makai. Hence, the gills for ears_," she said, pointing to her ears.

"Wait?! Lamia doesn't have gills! Nor does Hilda!" Furuichi hissed. Demonic energy was beginning to surge around them as the battle started to get underway. Vritra looked at him quietly, and Furuichi grew a tick mark when he realised she was belittling him in her head. "Stop that and answer the question!"

Vritra sighed and nodded her head tiredly. "_Our second-in-command married a Christian Devil, which I would assume had to lead to her daughter not inheriting some of her features, though the resemblance is still there. Furthermore, the practice of wet nurses had only been influenced after the Civil War, and most wet nurses nowadays are European based Demons, which shares close ties to the Christian belief_."

"I see, so the current Beelzebub practically has control of an entire country?" Well, he knew that already, but wouldn't that mean that the same could be said for the other three Maous?

_Was that okay? Having four members of a single government control entire countries by themselves? _He wondered. He forgot, however, that the summoned Pillars could effectively hear all of his thoughts.

Vritra, again, shook her head, "_All four Maous own large parts of the Underworld, however, those parts are still under contest with the other faiths and beliefs. Makai had originally been conquered by the previous Beelzebub through war and had been integrated as part of the Christian Devil's territory, even though we did not originally come from them. It is the reason why most of our members are greatly influenced by Christian mythology, to better integrate ourselves into the Devil society, which we are still foreign to. Indeed, our Demonic Energy, while operating under the same terms as those of Underworld, is different to them much like those of the Norse and Chinese mythology_."

Furuichi thought about that. Like the first time he had entered the Northern Stronghold, he understood that even the Demon World had its own history. This was all new information to him, and if it was right, then that means there were other Devils and demonic entities that came from different beliefs living down in Underworld.

For all he knew, the Supernatural world that he had labelled as bullshit could all be true. Then! Then! The beautiful Yuki-Onnas! They could exist! The beautiful snow women that would spirit men away in the high mountains. Or mermaids, these beautiful creatures that would sing beautiful songs and had the rocking upper body of sensual women! So many amazing thoughts were racing through Furuichi's head.

These feelings were only amplified when he finally glanced at the battle and saw erotic battle gear that the Exorcists were wearing! What is this!? Weren't they supposed to be hardcore believers of their religion?! Then why were they dressed like that! No, better yet, they had amazing bodies, seriously! Bishoujos! This school was full of them and Furuichi was in utter bliss.

Out of nowhere, Furuichi felt his right arm reach up and give him a slap across the face. He was reminded, quite violently, that he was currently sharing headspace with another person. "S-sorry," he muttered. Though even Vritra disapproving stare couldn't stop a little trickle of blood to soak up the tissues in his nose.

"Is Lieutenant-san alright? He's bleeding from the nose; should I go over and heal him with my Twilight Healing?" Asia-chan asked while looking towards Gremory-sama with a worried expression on her.

_Suddenly I'm hit with a lot of guilt_, Furuichi thought. The idea of somebody so adorably innocent like her filled Furuichi with a need - _must protect at all costs. _

"He is a Demon Contractor, while Furuichi-dono may be capable of signing a contract with Devils, he can still be vulnerable to the adverse effects of Demonic Energy. And with Kiba-kun unleashing his demonic swords left and right, the air has become quite saturated with it. Couple that with his summons, then he must be undergoing some difficulty," Himejima-san stated.

_Yes! That is definitely it!_

"Yet he is able to stand completely fine even with the influx of Demonic Energy. To be able to sign a contract and utilise the Pillars, even the Ultimate-Class Devil Behemoth, makes him an extraordinary human. I see why the Pillars have placed so much faith in him. Indeed, to be acknowledged to the rank of Lieutenant so quickly when other Demons can spend decades at the simple rank of Private shows that he is of comparable skill to the Pillar Generals and Barons themselves," Gremory-san stated confidently.

_No! That is definitely not it!_

Furuichi felt beads of sweat roll down his forehead. Vritra was staring at him with a blank poker face, and Furuichi felt like somebody had loaded a gun behind him.

"_She is correct though_," Vritra stated, causing Furuichi to look at her in shock at the sudden turn - he had been expecting another slap across the fact. "_Your base potential has increased with the King's Crest, allowing us to surge more and more of our Demonic Energy through you, yet even without it, the amount you could contain was already beyond that of a regular human. While you lack physical strength, you are more than capable of calling yourself a Lieutenant of the 34th_."

Furuichi couldn't help but blush in embarrassment, not used to praise after spending so long under the heel of almost everybody from Ishiyama.

"_However_," Vritra started with a frown, "_You cannot stay in this level forever. You have already signed a formal contract with us, yet the tissues are still the only method for you to summon us_."

Furuichi looked at her in surprise. "W-what do you mean?" He, sadly, did not get an answer to his question; instead, Vritra shook her head and turned to the mock battle that was soon to reach its climax. Furuichi himself was surprised to see Hyoudou crashing into the ground, while Yuuto-san was - _whoa that is a big ass sword_.

"_Quite excessive - he doesn't have the strength required to even wield that sword half as effectively. Beyond that, as a Knight, his main strength comes with his speed, which he has sacrificed for no reason at all - ah, as you can see, he failed_," Vritra commented, nodding her head when she saw how the Exorcist easily defeated the Gremory Knight.

"_It seems we are needed to make sure that these Exorcist understand that Gremory-sama's peerage isn't the only protection in this part of Japan_," Vritra stated and Furuichi suddenly felt his arms go rigid as Vritra took over most of his body functions - effectively, he was now possessed by the Pillar Baron. Like other times, he felt his personality start to be influenced by Vritra.

He quickly began to feel like it was a good time to...be sleeping? Yes, it was a rather nice windy day for a nap and he was tired too, so unbelievably tired. He should probably finish this fight as quickly as he could so that he could catch a few hours of sleep in the Occult Research Room.

_Still, I probably shouldn't go all out for just a sparring session_, he thought.

Nodding to himself, evidently pleased with his simple reasoning, Furuichi dashed forward with a surge of Demonic Power. He ducked into a roll and swooped up one of Yuuto-sans discarded demonic swords. He didn't know what properties this one had but all he needed was the ability to cut something - and the sword looked _plenty _sharp.

He landed on his feet after he finished his roll and leapt forward with his right leg, swinging with his left sword towards the Exorcist with a streak of green in her hair. Xenovia - was that her name? Too tired to remember - widened her eyes and quickly tried to block the sudden oncoming attack. But she was slow and Furuichi was able to analyse her movements with speed and precision he didn't usually have. He knew, after seeing the way she planted her feet, that her idea of a block was merely to attack her enemy first - there was nothing _wrong_ with that, a good offence made a just as good defence, but that only applied when her enemy was of equal skill to her.

With Virtra in command - it stood without question that Furuichi was far above what she could usually contend with.

From the arc of her back to the positioning of her stance, and to the properties of the Excalibur itself, Furuichi could tell that she was an attack type of person - sheer brute force was at the forefront of her mind with any action she took. Born fighters like her were useless against technique types like Vritra - whose deadliness came from years of honing finely tuned battle experience - and Furuichi easily dodged the slow, but still powerful, attack.

Seeing an opening in her guard due to her overextension, Furuichi immediately moved to slash his sword upwards, completely avoiding the blade and striking the pommel, which caused Xenovia to let go of her weapon. The possessed Furuichi glanced at the still floating sword and wondered - _would it be fine to use it?_

He could finish off Irina faster with it, but it was heavy and required too much careful stance work to use effectively - not only that but it used Holy power which could negate the Demonic Energy surging through Furuichi. Blinking in weariness at the amount of work he was doing, Furuichi allowed himself to yawn leisurely as he rolled to the side. As quick as his feet touched the ground, he ate up the distance between him and the remaining Exorcist, his sword raised to his shoulder in a guard.

"E-eh?" The woman said in surprise, instinctively taking a step back when she saw the Lieutenant arcing towards her. Furuichi paused just in front of her, allowing the seconds to draw themselves out as he calmly watched her.

Irina was slightly afraid at the dull look in his eyes as though he found the idea of facing her an exercise in boredom rather than a possible fight. She had known him to be powerful, what with him being in one of the most infamous Devil groups the Church knew about, and yet, the look in his eyes clearly stated that he was far stronger than she had realised.

He looked utterly bored with the fight and seemed completely unimpressed with the fact that he had so quickly disarmed Xenovia, her partner, who had unparalleled destructive ability compared to her. But instead of ending the fight right then, he continued to just stare at her, a calculating glint in his eyes as though he was figuring out how to tear her apart, and Irina shivered in primal fear. She understood that Takayuki Furuichi was a dangerous man.

If she could read his thoughts though, she would say the same thing but in a different context. _B87-W23-H89_, he thought, _those are her breast size_. With his careful observation now completed, Furuichi allowed Demonic Energy to surge around him, blanketing the area with a thick disperse of wind, and sent the pommel of his sword sailing towards Irina. She instinctively blocked it, but the sheer force of the attack had caused her Excalibur Mimic to slip out of her fingers and fly over her head. It embedded itself into the ground behind her, making her stare at him with wide, uncomprehending eyes at how he had so easily taken her out of the fight.

"_**That is enough**_," Furuichi said. His voice was being slightly imbued with Demonic Energy at the influence of Vritra. His tone was quiet and dull, showing absolutely zero emotion and zero hints to the machinations in his head. It was utterly devoid of life. But to Furuichi, and likewise Vritra, he was just expressing how he just wanted to lie down and fall asleep. "_**The match is over. The victors are the Exorcists; Himejima-san, please put down the barrier**_."

The Occult Research Club fukubuchou nodded her head and soon after Furuichi felt Vritra slowly but surely leave his body. "_The terms of the contract have been met. Lieutenant-dono, the level you are currently at is satisfactory, but unless you work harder, you may find it difficult to find satisfactory a good enough level. Eventually, it would be difficult for you to walk alongside Oga_."

Furuichi looked at her in confusion, his eyes foggy after being released from the possession. But before he could ask any questions, she had already disappeared back to Makai. He shook his head to clear the confusion of the vague and cryptic information he had been receiving lately and stared at the two stunned Exorcists. He felt awkward just standing there out in the open but eventually, Xenovia-san shook her head and turned to address Yuuto-san, which was fine by Furuichi. Though he did tense up, his tissues already rolled and in his hands as he prepared to break up any fight that might break out between them.

"Senpai, I suggest you fight with coolness next time. I trust that our talk earlier has made its point, and as such I see no more reason to continue this." Then she turned to Hyoudou-san, who was shaking as he stared at her from his prone position. "I will tell you one thing, 'Vanishing Dragon' has already appeared."

_More crypticness_? Furuichi thought exasperatedly. Even if he didn't understand what that meant - or if he was even supposed to have listened in the first place - Furuichi still filed that information away as _another mention of a Dragon_. If he had time, he'd ask Hecadoth about it later and he might need to report to Jabberwock about what the Exorcist said.

Then she turned her eyes towards Furuichi and he immediately locked his shoulders, unsure as to how exactly she was going to react to him having disarmed her like he did. Vitra, after all, was called 'brutally effective' for a reason. "Lieutenant-san, I understand now how you were accepted into the ranks of the Pillars even though you are human. The levels of Demonic Energy I felt radiating off you was equal to some of the strongest Devils I had ever fought," Xenovia stated, and there was a hint of grudging respect in her eyes.

Furuichi didn't expect that - if it were Kanzaki in her place, he would be ready to tear his limbs apart - and he self-consciously scratched at his neck in an abased nervous tick. "Please, I'm not that special," Furuichi said as he stared at the ground, quietly blushing at the fact that a beautiful girl had decided to praise him.

Xenovia smirked at his reply and reached down to grab her Excalibur Destruction. "Modest as well; you are quite different from other Demon Contractors or the regular Magicians," Xenovia stated and sheathed her sword onto her person. She gave Furuichi one last look, this time the grudging respect had been replaced with something more..._honest_, would be an apt word.

After a while, she collected Irina from her shocked state and departed from the area. Furuichi stared at their backs, which were not covered by their coats, and ogled at their figures for a good half minute before turning away - he did not want to create a reputation _for that_ in this school after all. He did, however, wonder if he should snap a pic for Dr Forcas but decided against it. Instead, he occupied his attention, and curiosity, to the dramatic scene which had apparently begun playing out with the Gremory group.

"...I was able to run away from there thanks to my comrades. That's why I have to put their regrets into my demonic-swords...," Yuuto-san said and Furuichi could recognise a man on a vendetta relatively easily - that had been Oga too when they went on their trip to America.

The young man stalked away, his shoulders heavy and lumbering as he passed Hyoudou-san being healed by Asia. Gremory-sama stepped forward, her arm reaching out to Yuuto-san, but Furuichi stopped her from going after him.

"Gremory-san," Furuichi said, gaining her attention. He may be overstepping his boundaries, but indeed, there was nobody there at that moment that could understand the situation any more than he did. He came from a school rife with cases less mild than Yuuto-san's case after all, and he'd been through the slog of trying to figure out these kinds of mentalities. "Let him be. When he needs to come back to you, he will." Oga had done this plenty of times, and there was never a moment when he would not return back beside Misaki or him in their younger years.

To Furuichi's surprise, the Gremory heir decided followed his direction, even with a little bit of reluctance. She watched her Knight leave the clearing for a few more seconds longer before turning to the only other male in the clearing. "Issei, are you ok?" She asked while tending to her sole pawn.

Furuichi watched with slight jealousy as this kid had four beauties hovering over his shoulder. He bit the cloth of his collar in embarrassed jealousy and turned away from the sight - slight tears stinging the edges of his eyes. He quickly made his way to the school gate without disturbing them - in his eyes, his job here was effectively done.

But he couldn't help but think back to his conversation with Vritra as he moved. He wondered what she had meant by the last comment and tried to push it to the back of his thoughts. But for the life of him, he couldn't help but keep replaying the conversation - and for some reason, he couldn't help but feel like he agreed with her. For the first time since coming to the school, Furuichi was starting to grow afraid of what exactly he had involved himself with.

"If this situation goes on, I might get used to being a Pillar," Furuichi murmured. It was scary in a way, how he seemed completely at ease with the situations that had been thrown his way. Who knew that being in a delinquent school was enough life experience needed to get around politics - _maybe he __**should**_ _get into politics. _

The sun was starting to fall in the distance and Furuichi knew that darkness was soon to arrive. He already felt the fatigue catch up to him throughout the day - putting aside the brief fight between him and the Exorcists, the sheer amount of information that he was given was already mentally taxing enough. Being too lazy to even want to walk back home, Furuichi decided to call Alaindelon.

"Oh? Takayuki-dono! My, what a surprise, you usually never call for me!" Of course, the old man just had to make it weird. He was staring at Furuichi with a light blush, shyly glancing away as though he had just been noticed by his beloved Senpai. Furuichi felt like throwing up on him just for shits and giggles - _but then, he might actually __**like**_ _it_.

"Not now," Furuichi said tiredly, feeling the mental exhaustion of his thoughts taking over his mind, "Take me home, I have a feeling I have a long day tomorrow."

"I see, I see," Alaindelon had the decency to sound empathetic and quickly transported Furuichi away dropping him off just outside the apartment complex which the Pillars had built and rented out to him. Furuichi said his goodbyes to Alaindelon and quickly made his way into his new house - but for some reason, he felt the hairs on his neck stand on end as he passed the door, and he swore he heard the sound of wings flapping overhead.

_I must be more tired than I thought_, he rationalised and entered his home.

**0o0o I Came Back to Tea? O0o0**

Furuichi expected to come into a room that was covered in boxes and looked like it still needed a few days of construction - after all, Hecadoth had told him how the Devils had only started making the building two days ago. Instead, he found that he was in a fully furnished luxury apartment room with western style couches, tables, chairs and decorations. It was very postmodern style.

He also didn't expect to smell tea wafting from the kitchen area or the sight of a discarded lab coat on his couch - which looked very expensive by the way. Lamia came walking out of the kitchen humming a tune under her breath, a teacup held daintily in her fingertips as she sipped at it.

Furuichi blinked - no special reason, he just didn't know how to react at seeing someone walking around what was supposed to be his apartment as though he owned it - and stared at her as she passed from the kitchen to the living room. After taking a seat at the couch, Lamia took another sip of her tea, before glancing up at Furuichi.

"_Disgusting_," she said, grimacing at the sight of Furuichi. Naturally, he felt a tick mark form on his forehead at being thrown insults the moment he got back home. He pulled off his 34th Pillar Jacket and tossed it onto the jacket rack - and what a novel idea that he had one, to begin with.

"What's the meaning of this? I get home and suddenly I'm assaulted with a vehement insult," Furuichi snapped back, crossing his arms while making his way across the room. The young pinkette glanced up at him as he approached and was quick to narrow her eyes.

"Were you looking at girls throughout the day?" Though it was framed as a question, Furuichi had the distinct feeling that it was said as an accusation. The tick mark grew in size - first of all, who threw out accusations before even asking? Innocent until proven guilty! Innocent until _proven_ guilty!

Furuichi threw the lab coat aside and sank into his new sofa - and marvelled at how he practically dissolved into it. _This was definitely more than my entire family could afford_, he thought idly. "No, I did not. I had an actual business to attend to after school."

"_Disgusting_," Lamia reiterated, somehow putting even more vehemence in her tone. Furuichi would have gotten angry, but a part of him just felt like he'd been stabbed in the heart at how the pinkette just immediately assumed he was doing some naughty - and _honestly,_ she had a point.

"I was doing something for Sitri-sama," Furuichi elaborated, sinking into the chair in his exhaustion. "There was a meeting between Gremory-sama and a pair of Exorcists from the Church - there seems to be a situation with a stolen Excalibur and the Exorcists wants us, the Devil side, to practice non-interference to their operations."

"What?!" Lamia exclaimed in surprise, the tea in her cup swirling in her sudden outburst. "The _gall_ \- how could they think they can just waltz into Devil territory and start making demands like that. It's times like this that makes me think the Old Maous weren't wrong with wanting to continue the war."

Furuichi glanced at the tiny pinkette, feeling a sudden bout of nostalgia at seeing her throwing a tantrum at something other than him - how long had it been since that had happened? Too long in Furuichi's opinion, and he had the wounds on his gut to prove it. "Well, I kind of get it. They wouldn't want other people to interfere in their own internal affaire, especially people they can't trust - but considering it's happening in Gremory's territory, I won't be surprised if she denied them the request."

"As she should! The Church has no authority here, not unless they want to start a war to claim it! What kind of idiotic...gah!" Lamia slammed her cup of tea on the table, spilling its contents over the wood. Furuichi glanced at it, mildly irritated at the fact that he would have to clean that up, and also a bit worried about the sudden bout of emotion - it wouldn't be that hard for her to redirect it towards him after all.

Furuichi's finely honed battle instincts were screaming at him to 'disengage and perform a tactical retreat' but for some reason, he was just too tired to even listen to his most base primal instincts and instead chose to do something he usually never did. He asked Lamia a question that might make her angrier - "What even is between the Devils and the Church? I mean, besides the stuff in the Bible, it seems like you guys have a deeper hatred for them than just ordained will."

"It's not just that - Devils, Angels, and Fallen-Angels are mutually repulsive to each other. We can't help it simply because all of our unique energies and makeup were designed to hurt each other!" Lamia said matter-of-factly. Though, after a moment, she crossed her arms and grimaced. "Beyond that...well, we've probably both lost a lot of people from the war," she said quietly - if not a bit morosely.

Furuichi wasn't stupid - his finely attuned senses were capable of picking up the fact that he had touched on a sensitive topic. How sensitive it was he didn't know and he wasn't willing to test boundaries by asking - nor would he want to upset Lamia over something as trivial as a curiosity. He wasn't heartless or that emotionally defunct, and without knowing it he had placed his hand on Lamia's head and began ruffling it.

"Gah! What are you doing! Stop!" Lamia cried out slapping his hand away. Furuichi just laughed, but Lamia didn't take too kindly at being made a fool of. She flicked Furuichi on the head and considering the amount of strength that was hidden inside that frame of hers, Furuichi felt like his neck was about to snap when he slammed back into the head of the couch.

"Ow! You know I came here to sleep right?" Furuichi whined as he rubbed the spot between his eyebrows. "How am I supposed to sleep after getting snapped like that?" As soon as the words left his mouth, Furuichi regretted them. Because the next thing that he saw was Lamia pulling the pistol slide back for Furuichi to see, in all his anxiousness, the weapon of his nightmares get primed and ready. "Now wait, let's not get has-"

The rest after that, well, it should be self-explanatory.


End file.
